In view of the high rate of inflation, IG Metall wants to push through substantial wage increases in the wage negotiations.

IG Metall boss Jörg Hofmann said that the union would react to the rise in inflation with wage policy in the collective bargaining round in the metal and electrical industry in the fall.

"Our employees expect that there will not only be a one-off payment, but that wage increases will be included in the pay tables," he told the "Augsburger Allgemeine".

Before the metal collective bargaining round begins, IG Metall will start the steel collective bargaining round that is now starting with a decent percentage.

"In the autumn we must also counteract the fact that employees in the metal and electrical industry lose purchasing power and thus encourage a recession through a massive drop in demand," said the IG Metall boss.

He rejected employers' arguments that the companies had little scope for wage increases in view of the consequences of the Ukraine war.

"Many companies manage to pass on the increased raw material and energy prices to their customers," said the trade unionist.

"Of course there are also individual companies with less market power that groan under the situation because they cannot raise prices," he admitted.

But the employees would also have to bear high burdens: "Unlike companies, households have no chance of passing on the additional burden of the increased prices."