After two rounds of wage negotiations that failed to produce any results, further negotiations are scheduled to take place at the end of June. This is the last opportunity to reach a result before the end of the peace obligation. The union is not only interested in more money.
With nationwide actions, the IG BCE union is increasing the pressure ahead of the third round of negotiations for the approximately 585,000 employees in the German chemical and pharmaceutical industry. “The employees are slowly losing patience,” warned IG BCE collective bargaining director Oliver Heinrich.
Among other things, the union is demanding a seven percent pay rise. According to IG BCE, more than 200 events with thousands of participants are planned nationwide around the action days on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week – from rallies to vigils to demonstrations.
On Tuesday, employees at the chemical company Evonik in Hanau and at the supplier and tire manufacturer Continental in Hanover were among those called to take action. On Wednesday, the protests will continue in North Rhine-Westphalia and at BASF in Ludwigshafen. According to reports, there was already a rally with around 1,000 participants at the pharmaceutical company Merck in Darmstadt on Monday.
The third round of negotiations at federal level is scheduled for June 26 and 27 in Bad Breisig near Bonn. This is the last opportunity to reach a result before the end of the peace obligation on June 30.
The IG Bergbau Chemie Energie (IG BCE) justifies its demand for seven percent more money with the loss of purchasing power of employees due to inflation and with the recovery of the chemical industry. In addition, the union wants to implement regulations in a large collective agreement for the first time that put union members in a better position than other employees. According to the IG BCE, measurable advantages could be more free time, more money or better social and health security for union members.
IGBCE on nationwide actions
Source: Stern
