Germany is facing a boom in renewable energies. This is linked to the hope of a “green job miracle”. From the point of view of IG Metall, however, the issue has a catch.
In the conflict over a collective agreement, IG Metall is threatening the German subsidiary of Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas with a warning strike. “They have informed us that they have no intention of entering into collective bargaining with us,” said the union’s negotiator, the Rendsburg IG Metall Managing Director Martin Bitter, the German Press Agency. “I have never come across this categorical and not very diplomatic no to collective bargaining.”
Against this background, the union is now examining the possibility of increasing the pressure on the company with a strike, Bitter said. He did not name the time and extent of such industrial action.
Germany’s largest trade union entered into talks with Vestas Deutschland GmbH (Hamburg) in mid-May. They last spoke to each other at the beginning of July, this meeting was very short, Bitter reported. He reiterated his impression that the company would rather talk to the works council than to IG Metall about working conditions and wage levels. For a company of this size, such a refusal to deal with the union is “unacceptable,” he said. According to IG Metall, the conflict affects a total of around 1,700 employees, including 700 fitters who are employed in the service and maintenance of wind turbines.
Before the start of the talks in May, Bitter had expressed the “clear expectations of the employees” regarding working conditions regulated by collective agreements. “The wind industry will play a key role in the restructuring of our electricity and energy supply in the coming years,” said the trade unionist. “From our point of view, it is all the more important that we take serious steps to increase collective bargaining coverage in the industry.”
IG Metall has long complained that many suppliers to the wind industry, such as machine builders, are traditionally subject to the collective wage agreement for the metal and electrical industry. In the case of manufacturers and in the service sector, however, the wind industry has so far refused to be bound by collective bargaining agreements.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
