Draft:1984 West Germany metalworkers' strike
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The 1984 West Germany metalworkers' strike was a strike by metalworkers in West Germany from 14 May to 1 July 1984.[1] One of the largest and longest strikes in West German history, the metalworkers and their union IG Metall sought introduction of a 35-hour work week. Lasting seven weeks, the strike cost the German automobile industry over three billion dollars.[2][3]
History
[edit]Prelude
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]The next nationwide metalworkers' strike in Germany would take place 11 years later: the 1995 German metalworkers' strike.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.jstor.org/stable/421664
- ^ a b "Striking West German metalworkers likely to endorse settlement". UPI. 2 July 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Tagliabue, John (21 June 1984). "A BITTER AND PUZZLING GERMAN STRIKE". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Long, Wellington (30 March 1984). "West German metal workers threaten national strike for shorter workweek". CS Monitor. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Drozdiak, William (1 July 1984). "West German Strike Leaves Bitter Legacy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "AROUND THE WORLD; German Metalworkers Approve a Strike". The New York Times. 5 May 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b "West German metalworkers strike". UPI. 14 May 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "AROUND THE WORLD; Talks Fail to Settle West German Strike". The New York Times. 27 May 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ a b "German metalworkers, industry, dig in heels". UPI. 8 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Printers join West German strike". UPI. 4 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "Talks resume in strike of Germany metalworkers". UPI. 21 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "AROUND THE WORLD; 20,000 More Workers Strike in West Germany". The New York Times. 17 June 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Tagliabue, John (28 June 1984). "TENTATIVE ACCORD IS SET IN GERMAN METAL STRIKE". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "West German Strikes' Impact". The New York Times. 16 August 1984. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ Williams Walsh, Mary (25 February 1995). "GERMANY : Metalworkers' Strike a Test for Economy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 November 2024.