Eurofound's COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the crisis, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for case DE-2020-14/420 – measures in Germany
Country | Germany , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 April 2020 – 31 December 2020 |
Type | Bipartite collective agreements |
Category |
Employment protection and retention
– Income support for people in employment (e.g. short-time work) |
Author | Birgit Kraemer (Hans Boeckler Foundation) and Eurofound |
Case created | 09 April 2020 (updated 05 May 2020) |
The metal and electrical sector faces enourmous challenges due to digitalisation, the transformation to emobility and growing global competition; the risk of major job losses became an issue already in 2019. In face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the collective bargaining partners interrupted the ongoing bargaining round and settled an agreement aimed at supporting the companies and workers in getting through the crisis by an extensive use of short time work.
The so-called 'Solidarity collective agreement' was first concluded by the collective bargaining partners in North-Rhine Westfalia and subsequently copied by the partners in all other regions.
It is noteworthy that the collective bargaining partners build on experiences in the economic crisis 2009/2010 when they also cooperated in campaigning against direct dismissals and for short time working.
The agreement settles:
Wage negotiations are postponed until the end of the pandemic
No information yet available.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Employees in standard employment
|
Does not apply to businesses | Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
Social partners jointly
|
Employer
National funds |
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
N/A
Agreement of the metalworkers union IG Metall and the regional affiliate of the employer organisation Gesamtmetall
This case is sector-specific (only private sector)
Economic area | Sector (NACE level 2) |
---|---|
C - Manufacturing | C25 Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment |
C26 Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | |
C27 Manufacture of electrical equipment | |
C28 Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. | |
C29 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers | |
C30 Manufacture of other transport equipment |
This case is not occupation-specific.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Metal and electrical sector: Social partners settle crisis agreement , case DE-2020-14/420 (measures in Germany), COVID-19 EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, http://eurofound.link/covid19eupolicywatch
Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process. All information is preliminary and subject to change.