For the first time collective negotiations in the paper industry will cover both the western and eastern regions of Europe’s largest economy. Those talks between the IG-BCE union and VAP, the employers’ association, started 7 October in Dresden, covering 39,000 workers. The union delegation insisted in the first round of talks that orders in the industry have picked up and that recovery is apparent, and thus wage increases are justified for both regular workers and apprentices. VAP contended that the financial crisis is still in effect due to high raw material and high energy costs. Without specifying an exact pay gain, the union said it seeks a noticeable remuneration gain, improvements in general conditions of work, and common collective agreement time frames between enterprises in the east and in the west (The current contract in the west expired on 31 August, while in the east the two-year agreement will run until 30 November).
English: http://www.icem.org/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4067-IGBCE-Seeking-Wage-Gains-as-East-West-Enjoined-in-German-Paper-Talks
For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI atwww.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2009.