IG METALL UNION CALLS ON WORKERS AT MERCEDES-BENZ PLANT TO GO ON STRIKE

BERLIN, NOVEMBER 8 /SRNA/ - Germany's largest trade union, IG Metall, has called on workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant near Berlin to stage a two-hour walkout tomorrow amid ongoing wage negotiations.

The strike is being organised after the union failed to reach an agreement in the third round of wage dispute talks.

Employees at local automotive supplier Gestamp in Ludwigsfelde have also been called on to join the strike, Deutsche Welle reported.

IG Metall is demanding a five per cent pay rise for around 96,000 employees in the metalworking and electrical industries in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg as part of a 12-month collective wage agreement, as well as job and location security.

During the second round of talks, employers presented a coordinated nationwide offer involving a one-off payment next year and a 1.3 per cent pay rise in July 2028, which the union rejected as inadequate.