Above the inflation rate: Chemicals union demands significantly more money for employees

The more than 580,000 employees in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry are to receive significantly more money, according to the will of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Union (IG BCE).

The negotiator and deputy union chairman Ralf Sikorski announced on Tuesday in Hanover.

"We want a deal that is above inflation," he said.

This demand will form the core of the collective bargaining round starting in spring.

Sikorski did not give a specific percentage - it was still too early for that.

The union apparently wants to wait and see how the inflation rate develops until March, when talks with employers are to begin.

However, he emphasized how much the employees were troubled by the high inflation rates.

"It is important that something comes around at the end of the day."

In October consumer prices rose by 4.5 percent, mainly due to rising oil and gasoline prices.

The Bundesbank assumes that inflation could even rise to 6 percent in November.

Higher allowances for night shifts

Sikorski also justified the demand for a substantial wage increase with the fact that the industry was doing well despite the Corona crisis. “Chemistry is booming,” he said, referring to the latest economic data from the Association of the Chemical Industry. Accordingly, the third largest branch of industry after the auto industry and mechanical engineering expects record sales of 220 billion euros for the current year, an increase of 15.5 percent compared to the previous year. Productivity has also increased significantly, said Sirkorski. In the last collective bargaining round two years ago, IG BCE agreed with the employers on rather modest wage increases, but traded out more days off and a new, employer-financed supplementary long-term care insurance.

The recommendation of the main board also provides for improvements for shift workers: the surcharges for night shifts should increase to a uniform 25 percent.

In addition, a minimum number of training places should be stipulated in order to counteract the decline in training.

Finally, as the industry changes, the protection and safety of employees should be an issue in collective bargaining.

The Federal Collective Bargaining Commission is to pass the final demand on February 22, 2022, and collective bargaining at the federal level is to begin on March 21.