Steelworkers strike in Germany

About 1,400 workers in the North Rhine-Westphalia steel industry took part in a warning strike on Tuesday with the announcement of the next strike, which will be followed by further protests, said the German metallurgical union IG Metall.

Work was interrupted at nine metallurgical plants owned by ThyssenKrupp and ArcelorMittal in Duisburg, Bochum and Kreuztal. According to a union spokesman, the strike will continue almost every day until the fourth round of negotiations with employers, scheduled for February 18.

Also on Wednesday, about a thousand metallurgists are going to hold a strike in Duisburg and Remscheid, and in the following days IG Metall's protest action will be extended to the federal states of Lower Saxony and Bremen.

The main controversial point in trade union negotiations with employers is the requirement to introduce a vacation bonus in the amount of 1,800 euros, which the employee can exchange for the weekend. In addition, about 72,000 IG Metall, which are involved in the steel industry in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bremen, are demanding a 6 percent increase in profits. The other side of the dispute has not yet made any proposals.

The overwhelming majority of German steelworkers work in the forecast area. At the same time, separate negotiations are underway on both the Saar and the former East Germany.