Germany’s metalworkers’ union IG Metall widened its strike campaign Monday, putting pay and job protections in dispute across industries employing about 3.7 million people, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
The outlets said IG Metall is seeking a 5% wage increase, protections for jobs and production sites, and a share of profits in sectors doing well. Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tata Steel were among the companies affected.
The employers’ package pairs a payment pegged to 1% of wages in July 2027 with a 1.3% increase to regular pay the following July, according to the report. Firms facing financial strain would be allowed to forgo the first payment. IG Metall argued that inflation would erode the offer’s value for workers and called for the stoppages to spread, the outlets reported.
The report said the union expects walkouts to continue through the week and plans to publish participation figures Friday. During the 2024 bargaining round, turnout exceeded 100,000 workers on the busiest days, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
The outlets also placed the labor dispute within wider European protests over living costs, housing and conditions in workplaces and schools. They reported unrest in Belgium, France and Spain, as well as Saturday demonstrations that drew thousands in Berlin and at least 31 other German cities.
