Thus: 01/31/2022 8:43 PM
For months, conflict has been raging over the planned conversion of civilian aircraft manufacturing to aircraft maker Airbus. Company representatives met IG Metal on Monday for a crucial round of talks. The union issued an ultimatum of sorts.
It is now the seventh round of a dispute between the world’s largest aircraft maker and Germany’s largest trade union that has been raging since last spring. If there is no result again, IG Metal would like to call on its members to vote on strike. In early December, more than 14,000 workers took part in warning strikes, some of which lasted several days. In doing so, he paralyzed mass production in the middle of the year-end boom.
Late night conversation?
The duration and outcome of the talks are both open. Negotiating circles said that negotiators on both sides had prepared for the possibility that talks could go on till the night.
Aviation expert Cord Schellenberg also said in the Hamburg Journal of the NDR that there could be at least a partial settlement during the night. “For the reporter in particular, I think everyone agrees that he is important to Hamburg,” Schellenberg said. In his opinion, negotiations for the production of parts could have lasted even longer, but the knot had to be cut somehow. “Because if you’ve already met seven times, you guess eight, nine or ten times—it doesn’t have to be better,” said the expert.
no current status of talks
IG Metall’s negotiator and North German district manager Daniel Friedrich previously wrote to the task force that preliminary progress had been made in the final round of talks on 14 January. According to him, Monday will “show how credible the previous talks are at the end of the day”. Neither Airbus nor IG Metal commented on the current state of talks on Monday.
Will the parts be outsourced by Airbus?
Airbus is looking to bundle the assembly of the aircraft fuselage in a new subsidiary. The so-called parts produced are to be sold to an investor. According to the union, a total of about 13,000 workers will be affected, many of whom are in Hamburg. It is also about Airbus’ operations in Stade and the Airbus subsidiary Premium Aerotec with locations in Bremen and Nordenheim. In addition, the aircraft manufacturer intends to sell production parts to Premium Aerotec in Varel, Friesland, among other locations. The union is demanding a long-term guarantee for employees until 2030.
Audio: Judgment Day at Airbus (1 minute)
IG Metal threatens to strike
Airbus did not wish to comment on the specific status of the talks. In December, more than 14,000 workers had already participated in several days of warning strikes. If no agreement is reached today, IG Metal would like to call for a ballot – a long strike would also be possible.
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