IG Metall calls strikes at more than 2,000 German industrial sites

IG Metall has called for workers at more than 2,000 sites across Germany’s metal and electrical industries to strike later this week, in a dispute over pay and other working conditions affecting about 3.7 million employees.

The union is seeking a 5% pay rise over the next 12 months, as well as improvements including job guarantees. The strikes could affect companies including Opel, Daimler Truck, Vitesco and Paul Beier, according to a report by ANP and DPA carried by Nieuws.nl.

Employers’ organisations have rejected the demands and called the action inappropriate. They have offered a smaller pay increase in 2028 and a one-off payment next year, citing high energy costs and intense competition facing German industry. They argue that strikes would harm businesses.