In the event of a gas emergency, also think about zero laps

Berlin In the collective bargaining round for the approximately 3.9 million employees in the metal and electrical industry, employers are relying on one-off payments and the option created by politicians to pay out up to 3,000 euros tax-free to employees.

“I have in mind that we might get energy price subsidies in March 2023 and March 2024, so that the employees have a relief on the payslip when they receive their utility bills,” said Stefan Wolf, head of Gesamtmetall, in an interview with the Handelsblatt. A percentage increase in wages demanded by IG Metall, on the other hand, does not fit the “economic situation,” said Wolf.

In his 30 years of professional experience he has never experienced such an accumulation of problems. “If it is foreseeable that we will run into a gas emergency with production stops and supply chain breaks, companies will get into massive difficulties and there is a risk of high unemployment, then we must also think about a zero round,” emphasized Wolf, who is also the head of the Swabian automotive supplier Elring-Klinger.