Electricity Collective Agreement Negotiations Continue
The employee representatives have already secured a strike authorization before the 5th round of the electrical collective agreement negotiations and show determination. The employer side, on the other hand, points to the recession, rising unemployment, and the cautionary words of economic researchers who advise a moderate agreement.
Electrical Collective Agreement Negotiations: Also Demand for Sixth Week of Vacation
Recently, the offer from the employers by the Association of the Electrical and Electronics Industry (FEEI) was reportedly a wage and salary increase of a maximum of 1.5 percent, with a rolling inflation rate of 2.76 percent. The inflation of the past twelve months traditionally serves as the basis for negotiations, and the unions PRO-GE and GPA have so far ruled out a settlement below this. In addition to a wage increase, the employee representatives are also concerned with changes in the framework law, such as easier access to the sixth week of vacation.
Collective Agreement Negotiations: Plus 2.65 Percent for Chemical Industry
While the wages and salaries of the 60,000 employees in the electrical industry are still being disputed, there have already been some settlements in the spring wage round for major industrial sectors. In the chemical industry, the approximately 50,000 employees will receive 2.65 percent more in their accounts. In the wood industry, with its approximately 27,400 employees, incomes will be increased by 2.8 percent. In the paper industry, there was a settlement staggered according to the profits of the companies. A part of the approximately 8,000 employees can thus receive up to 2.65 percent wage increase. The settlement applies, as with the other industrial associations, retroactively from May 1, 2025.
Electrical Collective Agreement Negotiations: Union Points to Rumblings in Companies
Back to the electrical industry. "There is considerable rumbling in the companies. The disappointment with the current offer is great," said PRO-GE chief negotiator Reinhold Binder and GPA chief negotiator Eva Scherz recently. They referred to company meetings that have already taken place with high support from the workforce. Major companies of the FEEI include Siemens, Zumtobel, AT&S, and Infineon. A zero-wage round would not stimulate the economy but would lead to even greater consumer restraint and significant income losses for employees, warn the employee representatives. The negotiator at the start of the spring wage round on the union side was Karl Dürtscher, who passed away at the end of May at the age of 64. Dürtscher had negotiated over 170 collective agreements over many years.
Without Settlement in Electrical Collective Agreement Negotiations on Friday, Labor Dispute Threatens
On Monday of this week, Scherz and Binder made it clear once again: "If a settlement with fair wage and salary increases is not possible on Friday, there will be labor disputes." They demanded "wage and salary increases based on the relevant inflation rate with special consideration for low-income groups." Last year, after three rounds of negotiations, employees in the electrical and electronics industry received an increase in collective agreement wages and salaries by 7.5 percent, and actual incomes were raised by 6.8 percent. The new collective agreement minimum wage has since been 2,406 euros gross per month.
(APA/Red)
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