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30 November, 2009
The IG BCE National Executive last week raised the urgency for a round of collective bargaining for Germany’s 550,000 workers in the chemical sector. Under the motto “Seize opportunities for employment”, the 2010 round of negotiations will focus on job security and good career prospects for young people, along with the goal of achieving commensurate increases in income. The labour agreement will apply for twelve months.
Peter Hausmann, in charge of the tariff policy of the IG BCE’s National Executive stated “Especially during the economic crisis, it is important that we stick to our long-term tariff policy objectives. We want decent work with fair conditions, we want to protect jobs and create more opportunities for employment. And of course we want to make gains in income”.
Peter Hausmann
The new agreements would cover workers in around 1,900 companies in the German chemical industry. There are eleven regional commissions, the debate will occur in each, with collective industry-wide decisions also made. In the collective bargaining districts, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine current contracts run until 31 March 2010, in Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Lower Saxony / Bremen, Schleswig Holstein and Berlin they expire 30 April, in the Saarland and East 31 May.
A date for the negotiations to begin is not yet set, but it is estimated that they will start in spring 2010.