Current Events > German union wins strike battle, earning raises, 28-hour weeks for family care

(+) Yeah! (+)

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42959155

Industrial workers in south-western Germany have won the right to reduced working hours as part of a deal that could benefit millions of employees across the country.

Workers will be able to reduce their weekly hours from 35 to 28 for up to two years to look after their families.

The deal covers almost one million workers in Baden-Wrttemberg state and also gives them a pay rise.

It could be extended to the 3.9 million workers in Germany's industrial sector.

A reduced working week to care for children, the elderly or sick relatives was a key demand by IG Metall, the country's biggest trade union representing metal and engineering workers.

But their demand that those workers were still paid the same even if they reduced their hours was rejected in their negotiations with the employers' federation, Sdwestmetall.

In return, the companies will have the possibility to increase to up to 40 hours the week of those willing to work more.

The employees will also be given a 4.3% pay rise from April, against their demand of a 6% increase. The pay deal stretches over 27 months and also sees additional one-off payments.

IG Metall leader Jrg Hofmann said: "The agreement is a milestone on the way to a modern, self-determined world of work."

Meanwhile, Sdwestmetall head Stefan Wolf called the compromise "bearable but painful".

After reunification, while Germany was struggling economically, flexibility was generally demanded of employees rather than companies.

The 2003 labour market reforms, and the 2008 financial crisis, meant years of wage restraint for many workers.

But over the past few years in Germany the power balance has shifted from bosses to employees.

Since the financial crisis wages have been slowly rising in Germany - mainly because record low unemployment means that in many sectors firms are struggling to find workers.

So an agreement that increases wages was not surprising. More unusual is the automatic right to work fewer hours, something which has been discussed in Germany for years, as people try to combine work and family life.

If this goes down well with employees, we could see it spread to other sectors.

As Germany's largest union IG Metall has in the past set standards across the country. The question is: how many workers will actually want to work less when that also means earning less?

Germany's economy grew by 2.2% last year, its fastest rate in six years. And unemployment hit a new low in January - just 5.4% of people are out of work.

After a 10-year period where wages have grown by an average of only 0.81% as the economy has picked up, the unions sensed it was their turn to make demands on employers.

Thousands of IG Metall members staged one-day "warning strikes" last week, the union's first such strikes in 34 years. Among the companies affected were Porsche and Daimler, which produces Mercedes-Benz cars.

Solidarity forever.
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It's a shame America will never get behind something that's actually useful like this.
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Aaaand more jobs sent overseas.
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Good for them.
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Sephiroth1288 posted...

Aaaand more jobs sent overseas.

Many jobs would be lost to automation in the near future regardless. This is why a mandated universal pay for all citizens is inevitable, barring capitalism actually wiping out the lower classes
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none of that is true, our entire country is actually engulfed by hell and fire from the trillions of savage refugees we've let in the past few years. I have been in hiding since 2015 guys.
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We've had that arrangement in France for years, good for them.
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A reduced working week to care for children, the elderly or sick relatives was a key demand by IG Metall, the country's biggest trade union representing metal and engineering workers.

But their demand that those workers were still paid the same even if they reduced their hours was rejected in their negotiations with the employers' federation, Sdwestmetall.

seems fair
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gunplagirl posted...

It's a shame America will never get behind something that's actually useful like this.

Yeah, it's a shame America won't bend over for legitimate Communism.
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Balrog0 posted...

A reduced working week to care for children, the elderly or sick relatives was a key demand by IG Metall, the country's biggest trade union representing metal and engineering workers.

But their demand that those workers were still paid the same even if they reduced their hours was rejected in their negotiations with the employers' federation, Sdwestmetall.
seems fair

Agreed. Take time off, but only get paid for hours actually worked.
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darkjedilink posted...

gunplagirl posted...

It's a shame America will never get behind something that's actually useful like this.

Yeah, it's a shame America won't bend over for legitimate Communism.

How's school going buddy? You learning about the USSR right now? :)
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darkjedilink posted...

gunplagirl posted...

It's a shame America will never get behind something that's actually useful like this.

Yeah, it's a shame America won't bend over for legitimate Communism.

First you might need to learn what communism is.
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darkjedilink posted...

Yeah, it's a shame America won't bend over for legitimate Communism.

I agree.
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How did Americans come to hate Unions? Its fucked how were so brainwashed.
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As Germany's largest union IG Metall has in the past set standards across the country.

How does that work?

Questionmarktarius posted...

As Germany's largest union IG Metall has in the past set standards across the country.

How does that work?

I'm guessing this means "due to their large size, the deals they reach have often set precedents for other industries and unions to follow."
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twitterfriends posted...

How did Americans come to hate Unions? Its fucked how were so brainwashed.

Union greed has killed GM, Chrysler, Boeing, government budgets, and the Twinkie, all since the turn of the century.
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twitterfriends posted...

How did Americans come to hate Unions? Its fucked how were so brainwashed.

Because unions inflate costs and protect sub par workers.
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Sounds like they are just lazy
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gunplagirl posted...

It's a shame America will never get behind something that's actually useful like this.

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Antifar posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

As Germany's largest union IG Metall has in the past set standards across the country.

How does that work?

I'm guessing this means "due to their large size, the deals they reach have often set precedents for other industries and unions to follow."

Ah. That makes sense.

twitterfriends posted...

How did Americans come to hate Unions? Its fucked how were so brainwashed.

Scope creep. Unions expanded from representing workers and coordinating stoppages, to dictating how business are run and leaking over into politics to enable doing so.
That's largely why the only "industry" where unions still have a foothold is government, which can't just go out of business or relocate the factory to Mexico or overseas.

Unions are necessary for even the most basic rights as laid out by your government's legislation. Even though the law is the law, most employers violate this law by way of shortened breaks, illegal paycheck deductions (breakages, etc), unpaid overtime, etc.

I know a lot of people working for Boeing, theyre doing a good job and Boring is still largely profitable
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It'll be interesting to see what this does to the German economy, as it can serve as a pretty definitive example of whether these types of protections help or hurt economies.

I'm glad companies held firm on the pay matching, because that was flat out ridiculous, but I'm surprised the accepted the "guarantee our job will be available for 2 years" part. I can't think of ANY regular job that promises they'll keep a full time position available for you for 2 years.
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gunplagirl posted...

It's a shame America will never get behind something that's actually useful like this.

You can always move there.
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Sparksfanboy posted...

@Antifar
This your alt, or user impersonation?

This is my alt.
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s0nicfan posted...

I'm glad companies held firm on the pay matching, because that was flat out ridiculous, but I'm surprised the accepted the "guarantee our job will be available for 2 years" part. I can't think of ANY regular job that promises they'll keep a full time position available for you for 2 years.

Doesn't look so much like two years leave, as it is two years essentially working part-time.
I don't see how that's too unreasonable.

Questionmarktarius posted...

s0nicfan posted...

I'm glad companies held firm on the pay matching, because that was flat out ridiculous, but I'm surprised the accepted the "guarantee our job will be available for 2 years" part. I can't think of ANY regular job that promises they'll keep a full time position available for you for 2 years.

Doesn't look so much like two years leave, as it is two years essentially working part-time.
I don't see how that's too unreasonable.

It's not crazy outright, but it strips businesses of the ability to react to market forces. What if they need to downsize but the positions they would normally eliminate are locked into these 2 year agreements? Do they just fire other people so as to avoid legal issues? It just seems strange because you can legitimately see a situation where companies are reluctant to even hire women or people who want families because it cripples their ability to get rid of them if they have to.
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s0nicfan posted...

What if they need to downsize but the positions they would normally eliminate are locked into these 2 year agreements?

Seems like a company needing cutbacks would ditch the fulltimers first. An employee working 35 hours draws more than one working 28, and a shop that ends up running 28 hours a week has already cut about 20% from its labor costs.

But, I don't see where this guarantees a job for two years anyway - just that the job is 28 hours a week for up to two years.

twitterfriends posted...

I know a lot of people working for Boeing, theyre doing a good job and Boring is still largely profitable

The 787 says 'hi.'
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Questionmarktarius posted...

s0nicfan posted...

What if they need to downsize but the positions they would normally eliminate are locked into these 2 year agreements?

Seems like a company needing cutbacks would ditch the fulltimers first. An employee working 35 hours draws more than one working 28, and a shop that ends up running 28 hours a week has already cut about 20% from its labor costs.

But, I don't see where this guarantees a job for two years anyway - just that the job is 28 hours a week for up to two years.

The original union demand was that when they went part time the company would have to guarantee that after 2 years they could return to full time. Depending on the exact wording, it may have also put them in a legal situation where firing them outright would be illegal because they'd be violating that guarantee.
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