When the morning was cool, around 200 metal workers sat in their cars. Knut Giesler, district manager of IG Metall in North Rhine-Westphalia and its negotiator, accused the employers of blocking. “Too little and too vague” is what was put on the table in four rounds of talks. “They didn’t even give us a specific number”, Giesler called to the protesters in their cars, which they acknowledged with a hoot of horns.
Alone in the eastern Ruhr area were 2.200 Employees in 14 Operated called. It’s about more money and secure jobs after the corona pandemic.
The drive-in cinema event was streamed live to the apartments of the other 2,000 or so participants in the warning strike. IG Metall emphasizes that you can also strike in the home office. They had advised the employees to provide incoming emails with the information that they were temporarily on strike. The warning strike officially ended at 10:00 a.m.
The trade unions’ balancing act
In the first Corona wage dispute, the union has to perform a balancing act. She calls for an increase in income of four percent. “But we are flexible and ready to forego part of it for job security models”, formulates Ulrike Hölter, IGM-Chef in the Ruhrgebiet-Mitte district and member of the negotiating committee.
After four tariff talks, the negotiations come to a standstill. Holter knows: “The economic situation in the companies is very different due to the pandemic and lockdown – some work overtime, others work short-time.”
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