More than 413,000 workers across Germany joined over 2,800 warning strikes and rallies this week, in the biggest industrial action the country's metal and electrical sector has seen in years, as the IG Metall union presses employers for a 5% pay rise and guarantees on jobs. The week of walkouts, which ran from Sunday to Friday, ended without a deal — and the union is now threatening longer stoppages if talks next week fail to move employers.
IG Metall, Germany's largest union, announced the participation figures on Friday, saying the turnout had already exceeded the same stage of the last wage round in 2024. The dispute covers about 3.7 million workers in the metal and electrical industries — carmakers, machinery manufacturers and their suppliers — making it one of the largest pay negotiations in Europe this year.
A week of walkouts, plant by plant
The action began at midnight on Sunday with a walkout at ThyssenKrupp's Rasselstein steel unit, and spread through the week to car plants, engineering works and suppliers across the country. In Bavaria, around 3,000 workers each from BMW, Audi and Bosch joined protests, according to the union. In northern Germany, some 12,400 workers at four Airbus sites took part on Thursday, while around 3,300 Mercedes-Benz employees in Bremen walked out earlier in the week. Workers also rallied at the main Porsche plant in Stuttgart.
The strikes were deliberately short — mostly brief warning stoppages rather than full-day walkouts — but their scale was the point. IG Metall said more than 2,800 separate actions took place nationwide, from large plant gates to small supplier sites, and that participation had already passed the level seen at the equivalent point of the 2024 bargaining round, when peak days drew just over 100,000 workers.
"Workers are fighting for the future of their families and their jobs. They expect a tangible increase in purchasing power as well as concrete commitments from employers to safeguard industrial value creation and investment." — Nadine Boguslawski, IG Metall chief negotiator
What each side wants
The gap between the two sides remains wide. IG Metall is demanding a 5% pay rise over twelve months, higher pay for apprentices, profit-sharing at companies that are doing well, and binding guarantees on jobs and investment. Employers have offered a one-off payment worth about 1% of annual pay in the summer of 2027, followed by a permanent 1.3% rise from July 2028 — an offer the union has rejected, saying it would amount to a pay cut in real terms.
| IG Metall's demand | Employers' offer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay rise | 5% over 12 months | 1.3% from July 2028 |
| One-off payment | — | About 1% of annual pay, summer 2027 |
| Job guarantees | Binding commitments on jobs and investment | Not offered |
| Profit-sharing | At profitable companies | Not offered |
| Apprentices | Higher trainee pay | Not offered |
IG Metall president Christiane Benner said workers would not accept across-the-board cost-cutting programmes aimed at protecting company profits at the expense of wages, arguing that innovation and investment, rather than wage cuts, were needed to revive German industry.
Why the employers say they cannot pay more: German manufacturers have faced mounting pressure from high labour and energy costs and prolonged economic weakness, with many companies cutting jobs and closing plants. The pain is uneven, however — while the car sector and its suppliers have been announcing job cuts and plant closures for months, other industries covered by the same negotiations, such as aerospace and defence technology, are booming.
Why this dispute matters beyond Germany
The German action is part of a wider European wave of strikes and protests over the cost of living. In France, hundreds of thousands of workers marched on Thursday in the country's biggest day of demonstrations in years, demanding higher wages and more funding for schools and public services; the French prime minister has called wage talks for Monday. In Germany, the dispute is also a test of whether Europe's largest economy can hold together its industrial model — high wages, strong unions and export manufacturing — at a time when its car industry is under severe strain.
The stakes for workers are concrete. With prices still high and job cuts announced regularly across the auto sector, the union's argument is that a settlement well below inflation would leave its members worse off in real terms. For employers, the argument is that German labour costs are already among the highest in the world and that generous settlements would accelerate the shift of production abroad.
What happens next
Talks are due to continue next week, and both sides know the calendar is working against them. IG Metall has said the ball is now in the employers' court, and has warned that if the next round of talks produces no movement, the warning strikes will escalate into longer walkouts — a step that would hit production at carmakers and suppliers far harder than this week's brief stoppages.
For now, the week's figures give the union a strong hand: 413,000 workers out in a single week, in a dispute covering 3.7 million, with public attention firmly on the cost of living. Whether employers move will become clear when negotiators return to the table next week.
Frequently asked questions
What is a warning strike?
In Germany, a warning strike is a short, limited stoppage used during wage negotiations to show employers how many workers back the union's demands. Unlike a full strike, it usually lasts hours rather than days, and it is a standard tool in IG Metall's bargaining rounds.
Who is covered by these negotiations?
About 3.7 million workers in Germany's metal and electrical industries — including carmakers such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, machinery manufacturers, steel producers and their suppliers.
What is IG Metall asking for?
A 5% pay rise over twelve months, higher pay for apprentices, profit-sharing at profitable companies, and binding guarantees on jobs and investment in Germany.
What have employers offered?
A one-off payment worth about 1% of annual pay in summer 2027, followed by a permanent 1.3% wage rise from July 2028. IG Metall has rejected this, saying it would amount to a real-terms pay cut.
Could the strikes get longer?
Yes. IG Metall has threatened longer walkouts, potentially lasting a full day, if the next round of talks fails to produce a better offer. This week's actions were mostly short warning strikes.
Key takeaways
- More than 413,000 workers joined over 2,800 warning strikes across Germany in a single week, IG Metall said on Friday — already more than at the same stage of the 2024 wage round.
- The union wants a 5% pay rise over twelve months plus job guarantees and profit-sharing; employers have offered a one-off payment and a 1.3% rise from July 2028.
- The dispute covers 3.7 million metal and electrical workers, including staff at BMW, Audi, Bosch, Airbus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.
- Talks resume next week, with IG Metall threatening longer walkouts if employers do not improve their offer.
- The action is part of a wider European wave of cost-of-living protests, including mass marches in France this week.
The next round of talks will show whether a week of record turnout was enough to move employers — or whether Germany's car plants face their first full-day stoppages of the dispute.
