1984 strike in West Germany
| 1984 West Germany metalworkers' strike |
|---|
| Date | 14 May 1984 (1984-05-14) – 1 July 1984 (1984-07-01) |
|---|
| Location | |
|---|
| Methods | Strike action |
|---|
|
|
|
|
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]
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]
References