Overview
- IG BCE and employer association BAVC ended the second-round talks in Wiesbaden without agreement, with negotiations to resume on March 24–25 in Bad Breisig.
- IG BCE entered this round without a percentage wage demand, linking protection of real incomes to binding steps on employment security.
- BAVC is urging wage restraint after sizable increases in 2024–25, noting an average annual salary of €76,000 and arguing companies need a breather to restructure.
- The emerging concept would add a fixed per‑employee payment to the sector’s Demofonds to fund measures such as reduced working time with partial wage compensation, with use decided by works councils and management.
- Talks are set against a prolonged industry slump with production at a 20‑year low, capacity use near 70 percent, and unions warning of tens of thousands of threatened jobs as IG BCE plans workplace actions absent progress.