German union proposes four-day week

Germany’s IG Metall union is considering requesting a four-day working week of 32 hours while retaining monthly wages at existing levels. Members of the union’s wage negotiation commission are currently debating whether to make that pledge a part of the next negotiation round at the end of this year.

So far, the working week for Germany’s steel workers is defined at 35 hours. In its argumentation, IG Metall notes that big companies like thyssenkrupp Steel and ArcelorMittal Bremen already offer their workers the choice between working weeks of 35 or 33 and 32 hours, respectively. “So don’t tell me it would not work,” says Knut Giesler, chief negotiator of IG Metall North Rhine Westphalia.

As a matter of fact, around half of the employees at the two companies have opted for the shorter working time, accepting a lower monthly wage. This is the big difference the union aims to bridge with its claim. “This is the crucial point: you need to be able to afford a four-day week,” Kallanish reads in the union’s press release on the topic.

Little wonder that steel employers’ association Arbeitgeberverband (AGV) Stahl has absolutely rejected the union’s idea. “It comes at totally the wrong time,” AGV says, referring to the historic task of the technological transition that will mean enormous extraordinary costs for mills.

AGV says it is also frustrated because a year ago it presented a concept for a future wage structure that considers the implications of the technical transition for the workforce. That proposal has so far not seen a substantial reaction from IG Metall, AGV concludes.

Christian Koehl Germany