Germany faces record number of industrial disputes in 2023, study shows – vopbuzz
Number lost work days The number of strikes in Germany will double in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching more than 1.5 million with 312 industrial disputes, a study showed on Thursday.
According to research by the Economic and Social Sciences Institute (WSI), which has been tracking the number of industrial disputes since 2006, high inflation and the resulting loss of purchasing power were the main factors.
Study highlights how this happens cost of living crisis and one inflation increase Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the wake of the pandemic has sparked a wave of industrial action in Europe’s largest economy and tested its valuable model of labor relations.
“2024 is also likely to be a year of intense industrial disputes,” the WSI said, adding that the figure could depend on the outcome of union talks in the metals and electrical industries in the autumn.
The 1.52 million working days lost last year were the highest since 2015 and a 126% increase from 2022 levels.
The wave of strikes that hit railways, local transport, airports and Lufthansa airline at the beginning of the year coincided with farmers’ protests and a budget crisis that forced Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government into retreat.
But WSI said the main reason Germany was perceived as a strike-prone country was that many strikes disrupted people’s daily lives, such as the strikes that brought 11 German airports to a halt in February.
According to WSI, Belgium lost the most days per 1000 employees with an average of 103 days between 2013 and 2022, followed by France and Finland with 92 and 90 days, respectively.
According to the research, Germany ranks 8th, behind the UK but ahead of countries such as Switzerland and Sweden, where industrial action is close to zero.
According to research by the Economic and Social Sciences Institute (WSI), which has been tracking the number of industrial disputes since 2006, high inflation and the resulting loss of purchasing power were the main factors.
Study highlights how this happens cost of living crisis and one inflation increase Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the wake of the pandemic has sparked a wave of industrial action in Europe’s largest economy and tested its valuable model of labor relations.
“2024 is also likely to be a year of intense industrial disputes,” the WSI said, adding that the figure could depend on the outcome of union talks in the metals and electrical industries in the autumn.
The 1.52 million working days lost last year were the highest since 2015 and a 126% increase from 2022 levels.
The wave of strikes that hit railways, local transport, airports and Lufthansa airline at the beginning of the year coincided with farmers’ protests and a budget crisis that forced Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government into retreat.
But WSI said the main reason Germany was perceived as a strike-prone country was that many strikes disrupted people’s daily lives, such as the strikes that brought 11 German airports to a halt in February.
According to WSI, Belgium lost the most days per 1000 employees with an average of 103 days between 2013 and 2022, followed by France and Finland with 92 and 90 days, respectively.
According to the research, Germany ranks 8th, behind the UK but ahead of countries such as Switzerland and Sweden, where industrial action is close to zero.
