Letter to EMF and its affiliates:

Dear Colleagues,

as the negotiations on wage increases in the steel industry failed, there is a strong likelihood of a strike in the German steel industry.

IG Metall demands a pay increase of 6.5 % (for 12 months), safeguarding of employment and the implementation of innovation in the steel industry. That demand has to be seen against the background of the extremely positive economic situation in the steel industry. The last offer of the employer federation - submitted in the fifth bargaining round - conceded a pay rise of 2.4 % (for 19 months!) and a lump sum payment of 800 €.

The bargaining committee of the IG Metall-Steel Industry unanimously decided to stop further negotiations and to prepare for industrial actions. In the meantime the executive board of the IG Metall concluded to organize a strike ballot which will take place from May 13th until May 19th. So it would be most likely that strikes start on 23rd of May.

The strike will have an impact on the economy - due to the current situation with regard to the actual stocks and the just-in-time delivery system we do expect that car industry and other metal industries will be affected within three or four days after the beginning of the strike.

Dear colleagues, if there are any further questions or any need for more details, please, contact our Eucob@-correspondent Rudolf Welzmüller.

With kind regards, fraternally

Jürgen Peters & Berthold Huber