100,000 metalworkers strike over pay and guarantees for plants
Since the no-strike obligation ended on 31 October, about 100,000 employees at more than 500 plants have walked out in three days, according to IG Metall; third-round talks begin in the regions on 5 November.
The wage round for more than 3.7m employees is no longer only about money but about commitments to sites and jobs. Employers have also put AI and sick leave on the table.
What happened
IG Metall, Germany's metalworkers' union, wants 5% more pay over 12 months, plus job and site security, profit-sharing at well-performing firms and a social component for low earners and apprentices. On 27 October employers offered a one-off payment in July 2027 worth 1% of average annual pay, which individual firms may alter or cancel, and a 1.3% rise from July 2028, over 26 months to the end of 2028. The union calls this eight months without a rise and a real-terms cut. Warning strikes followed from 1 November: more than 62,000 employees on 3 November alone, and on 4 November 16,000 in Bavaria, 11,300 in North Rhine-Westphalia and more than 6,500 on the coast, among others. Gesamtmetall, the employers' federation, points to a loss of 10,000 industrial jobs a month. Employers want a company-level instrument for investment, innovation, sites and employment, wider automatic opt-outs from the agreement, and talks on sick leave and AI.
What follows
The round runs alongside job-cut plans at Schaeffler, BMW and Audi. If opt-outs from the agreement become automatic, pay will diverge further between strong and weak firms and the sector-wide agreement will lose binding force. For companies, including mid-sized ones, the term matters as much as the rate: 26 months bring planning certainty, 12 months a new round at the end of 2027. That AI is on the employers' list marks a shift: as in banking, where the Verdi union wants rules on AI, the use of new technology is becoming a bargaining issue. Assessment: whether AI rules become part of a deal is open.
What changes in practice
- Employees
- Under the offer there would be no permanent rise until July 2028, only a one-off payment in July 2027 that firms could cancel.
- Companies
- Warning strikes at more than 2,000 plants are announced for this week; supply-chain disruption is possible.
- Mid-sized firms
- More automatic opt-outs would give weaker firms room to breathe but widen pay gaps.
- Apprentices
- IG Metall is seeking a social component for lower incomes and apprentices.
What to watch
- Results of the third round: Baden-Württemberg on 5 November, the coast on 6 November in Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia on 9 November in Düsseldorf
- Whether employers commit to sites and jobs
- Whether AI and automatic opt-outs become part of the package
Sources
- IG Metall: Tarifrunde Metall und Elektro 2026
- nord24 (dpa): Warnstreikwelle im Norden vor bisherigem Höhepunkt
- all-electronics: Metall-Tarifrunde 2026, IG Metall erhöht den Druck