1984 West Germany metalworkers' strike

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1984 West Germany metalworkers' strike
Date14 May 1984 (1984-05-14) – 1 July 1984 (1984-07-01)
Location
West Germany
Methods Strike action
Parties
Number
367,000

The 1984 West Germany metalworkers' strike was a strike by metalworkers in West Germany from 14 May to 1 July 1984. [1] The metalworkers and their union IG Metall sought introduction of a 35-hour work week. Lasting seven weeks, one of the largest and longest strikes in West German history, the strike cost the German automobile industry over three billion dollars. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Prelude

As collective bargaining negotiations began, IG Metall argued that introduction of a 35-hour work week would also help reduce unemployment, potentially creating space for hundreds of thousands of new jobs. [4] Auto corporations, on the other hand, argued that the 35-hour work week would lead to a significant increase in the cost of labour, and would see jobs lost to factories overseas where labour was cheaper. [5]

On 5 May 1984, 80.05% of IG Metall members voted in favour of taking strike action for the 35-hour work week. [6]

Strike

In the early hours of 14 May, metalworkers across West Germany began walking off the job, launching the strike. [7] [8]

On 7 June, IG Metall proposed a compromise deal in which the work week would be reduced to 37 hours by 1986. The deal was rejected by the auto corporations. [9]

On 20 June, over 12 000 members of the Printing and Paper Union walked off the job in support of the metalworkers' strike, causing cancellation of several morning papers' issues. [10] [11] The strike also saw walkouts by members of the Trade, Banking and Insurance Union. [12]

Resolution

On 28 June, negotiators for the two sides and arbitrator Georg Leber announced that a preliminary agreement had been reached. The agreement included a reduction in working hours to 38,5 per week, as well as a 3,3% pay increase in 1984 and a 2% pay increase in 1985. [13] In exchange, unions would lose certain powers over work schedules. [5]

On 2 July, work resumed at Volkswagen factories across West Germany. [2]

Reactions

West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl described the demand for a 35-hour work week as "absurd and dumb." [5] Minister of Labour Norbert Blüm stated that the strike risked "catastrophic damage" to the West German economy. [5] Dieter Kirchner, director of the employers' association Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl, stated that the German auto industry had "never yet experienced such a brutal and cynically calculated strike." [7]

IG Metall negotiator Ernst Eisenmann accused the auto corporations of "using every means to stay on a confrontation course" during the strike instead of negotiating in good faith. [9]

Federal Minister of Economics Martin Bangemann estimated that the strike caused a 1% decrease in the West German GDP during the second quarter of the fiscal year. The German Institute for Economic Research estimated the decrease at 2%. [14] IG Metall's strike fund decreased by two hundred million dollars as a result of the strike. [5]

Aftermath

The next nationwide metalworkers' strike in Germany was taken place 11 years later: the 1995 German metalworkers' strike. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ Silvia, Stephen J. (1988). "The West German Labor Law Controversy: A Struggle for the Factory of the Future". Comparative Politics. 20 (2): 155–173. doi:10.2307/421664. JSTOR   421664.
  2. 1 2 "Striking West German metalworkers likely to endorse settlement". UPI. 2 July 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Tagliabue, John (21 June 1984). "A BITTER AND PUZZLING GERMAN STRIKE". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Long, Wellington (30 March 1984). "West German metal workers threaten national strike for shorter workweek". CS Monitor. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Drozdiak, William (1 July 1984). "West German Strike Leaves Bitter Legacy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "AROUND THE WORLD; German Metalworkers Approve a Strike". The New York Times. 5 May 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  7. 1 2 "West German metalworkers strike". UPI. 14 May 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "AROUND THE WORLD; Talks Fail to Settle West German Strike". The New York Times. 27 May 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  9. 1 2 "German metalworkers, industry, dig in heels". UPI. 8 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "Printers join West German strike". UPI. 4 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  11. ↑ "Talks resume in strike of Germany metalworkers". UPI. 21 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "AROUND THE WORLD; 20,000 More Workers Strike in West Germany". The New York Times. 17 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Tagliabue, John (28 June 1984). "TENTATIVE ACCORD IS SET IN GERMAN METAL STRIKE". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "West German Strikes' Impact". The New York Times. 16 August 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  15. ↑ Williams Walsh, Mary (25 February 1995). "GERMANY : Metalworkers' Strike a Test for Economy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
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