Wednesday, October 06, 2021
For the first time in decades
Nationwide strike on construction sites threatens
IG BAU is demanding higher wages and better working conditions for around 900,000 employees. But the fronts are hardened. Now the union is applying pressure. It is becoming increasingly likely that construction sites across the country will come to a standstill soon.
For the first time in decades, there could be a strike on construction sites across Germany. “A nationwide strike on construction is more likely than it has been for 20 years,” said the federal chairman of the industrial union for construction, agriculture and the environment (IG BAU), Robert Feiger, of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. For the almost 900,000 employees in the main construction trade, IG BAU is demanding higher wages and, in particular, higher compensation for the often long commutes to construction sites.
This is “the biggest catch in the negotiations,” said Feiger. The demand has existed since 2018, but an agreement has not yet been possible. “Without the employers really giving in, there will be no agreement with us this time,” said Feiger.
In addition to compensation for traveling time, IG BAU also calls for wages to be equalized between East and West. In addition, the union wants to push through a wage increase of 5.3 percent. The previous collective agreement expired at the end of June.
Arbitration as a “last chance”
At the end of September, the collective bargaining in the construction industry failed, the collective bargaining parties agreed on an arbitration under the President of the Federal Social Court, Rainer Schlegel. Feiger described the arbitration as a “last chance”. “Either the employers give up their blockade or there will be a nationwide strike on the construction sites”. Then construction in Germany would be paralyzed – road construction as well as public and private building construction.
Feiger rejected the argument that higher wages could increase the costs of construction projects in the “Süddeutsche” magazine. “Wages play a relatively minor role in the total cost of construction,” he said. “I also don’t accept that the construction worker, who holds out his bones every day, should keep costs low by cutting wages.”
Acute skills shortage
Overall, the building already has a problem with young people. The number of apprentices has recently increased slightly, but this is “far from being enough to meet the demand”. Around half of all skilled workers leave the industry within five years, and many retire early because of the heavy physical work they do.
The shortage of skilled workers in construction is also evident from a survey by the Ifo Institute. According to this, every third building construction company had problems finding skilled workers in September. In civil engineering, as many as 38 percent complained about a lack of suitable applicants.
“In addition to material bottlenecks, the shortage of skilled workers is increasingly becoming a problem for the construction industry. And that with full order books,” said Ifo researcher Felix Leiss in Munich. The companies worried about the age structure of their workforce and the insufficient social reputation of the craft. “Despite the increasing number of apprentices, the construction industry has serious concerns about the next generation,” said Leiss.