employee

“In a total of 16 rounds of negotiations since November 2021, we agreed with the employer to start collective bargaining. As early as the end of January 2023, we thought we would reach a collective bargaining agreement. Immediately after the then final round of negotiations, however, the entire management team was completely replaced. This meant that there were completely new decision-makers on the employer side overnight. Nevertheless, it has now been possible to finally and legally agree on the content that has already been achieved. In order to avoid any disadvantages for the employees, the collective agreements will come into force retrospectively from February 1, 2023. This is the first step towards modernizing the wage conditions in the company. A date for the continuation of collective bargaining has already been agreed for the end of November 2023,” says Thomas Steinhäuser, 1st representative of IG Metall Suhl-Sonneberg and chief negotiator of IG Metall.

Specifically, the introduction of a new remuneration system analogous to the ERA remuneration framework agreement for the metal and electrical industry in Thuringia was agreed. All jobs were reclassified in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement and were therefore objective and transparent. At the same time, a company pay table will be introduced with a gross basic fee of EUR 15.56 per hour for specialist work. The training allowances are linked to the basic pay and thus increase disproportionately by around 13 percent. For 116 employees, the new collectively agreed basic salary will increase by up to several hundred euros per month retrospectively to February 1, 2023. 45 employees have already received remuneration above the new company tariff table. Their basic fee remains unchanged in the first introductory step. An inflation compensation premium of 200 euros net will be granted to all employees with the payroll for April 2023. With the settlement for October 2023, a second inflation compensation premium of up to 400 euros net will be paid out, depending on attendance. The term is until the end of 2023 for the fee conditions.