For a protest event, the atmosphere in front of the "Haus der Wirtschaft" in Frankfurt is not bad: there are sausages with rolls, a guitarist plays "Dancing in the Dark" on stage, and if it wasn't for the rain, you could see hundreds of men and stop a couple of women in boiler suits for a company outing.

Falk Heunemann

Business editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

  • Follow I follow

The trade unionists came to the headquarters of the Hessian employers' association in buses and cars in order to once again visibly and loudly make their collective bargaining demands for the metal and electrical industry clear, the largest branch of industry in Hesse with more than 200,000 employees.

"Eight percent, eight percent, eight percent," they call out in unison, interrupted only by whistles and rattles.

The action could be the last protest action in a wage conflict that has been going on for months, so far four unsuccessful rounds of negotiations and daily warning strikes throughout the state.

On Thursday evening, trade unionists and employers will meet for the fifth time in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart.

Officially, only the collective bargaining partners of the Baden-Württemberg district speak to each other there.

However, the Hessian representatives of both sides have also traveled there, a clear sign that they expect a pilot degree during the night until Friday morning, which they could then quickly take over.

Oliver Barta, the chief negotiator for the employers' association Hessenmetall, had long since made his way south when the trade unionists marched in front of the "Haus der Wirtschaft".

"You deserve this"

So he can't even hear how IG Metall board member Jürgen Kerner loudly encourages the protesters in their demands: "Eight percent is necessary, you deserve it and it can also be financed," he summarizes the position of the union.

The offer of the tax-free inflation premium of 3,000 euros is by no means sufficient.

This sum would be needed to compensate for the rising energy costs.

A percentage increase is mandatory.

How high it should be: "Eight percent," he says several times.

Committing to a number like this is not without risk.

On the one hand, it restricts the room for negotiation, and if the self-imposed target is not met, this can also disappoint the members.

On the other hand, trade unionists know that collective bargaining never ends up getting what was demanded at the beginning.

One participant who came to Frankfurt with a few of his colleagues from Rolls Royce Oberursel said he was satisfied with a little less than eight percent.

They wear their work jackets under the rain jackets, later they go back to the factory.

He doesn't expect eight percent at all, he says, six or seven percent would be fine too.

Although it shouldn't be much less because of the high inflation, he says.

His company can certainly pay for it.

"Our order books are full."

Role model chemical industry?

The employers' association takes the loud but announced visit of the trade unionists sportily.

It is "a good tradition that they stop by here," says Peter Hampel, deputy general manager of Hessenmetall, as he speaks to the protesters.

The current collective bargaining round is difficult, but there are good prospects for an agreement.

"Nobody has an interest in us not finding a solution," he explains.

The collective bargaining agreement in the chemical industry should serve as a model, a combination of a 3,000 euro inflation premium and a wage increase of two times 3.25 percent over 20 months.

Now these 6.5 percent are less than inflation.

But because the inflation premium is tax-free, the IG BCE union has calculated for its members that the deal actually corresponds to a net wage increase of up to 15.6 percent.

However: Unlike a wage plus, there is only one bonus.