display
Hanover (dpa / lni) - In the wage negotiations in the Lower Saxony metal and electrical industry, there is still no convergence in view of the difficult Corona situation.
A continuation was agreed in February "in small working groups," said the Lower Saxony Metal Association after the second meeting with representatives of IG Metall on Wednesday.
"Every week new requirements come from Berlin, which make life much more difficult for our companies," said employer negotiator Torsten Muscharski in Hanover.
The union is demanding, among other things, four percent more money.
According to IG Metall, individual questions now need to be clarified on a technical level.
The current situation remains extremely uncertain for the companies, stressed Muscharski - the economic consequences of the extended second shutdown are not yet foreseeable.
"Therefore we can not absorb additional cost pressure," it said with a view to the fee demand of IG Metall.
At the start of the talks in mid-December, the two sides were still far apart.
"We must not forget that our industry is going through a violent process of transformation," emphasized the employers again.
In addition, there is the very tense economic situation.
The industry is confronted with an "unprecedented existential challenge," said association general manager Volker Schmidt.
In principle, they agreed with IG Metall on this assessment.
display
While employers conclude from this, however, that “nothing is to be distributed”, the union recently advocated higher incomes as a demand stimulus, especially in the current crisis.
A clear round is not possible, IG Metall district chief Thorsten Gröger emphasized.
According to his ideas, reductions in working hours should also be coupled with partial compensation in wages.
In addition, one must regulate future issues brought about by the upheaval in the automotive industry towards networking and alternative drives.