The train drivers’ strike on the railways currently shows that collective bargaining is currently extremely contentious. For the year 2023, which has just ended, the German Economic Institute (IW) evaluated negotiations in 20 different sectors in its tariff database. According to the overview announced on Friday, 2023 was the year with the most conflict since the database was set up in 2010.
The disputes reached a maximum escalation level of an average of 3 points on a seven-point scale (0 means negotiation at the table, 7 means strike and lockout), says study director Hagen Lesch. The collective bargaining disputes took on average a good six months to reach a solution and were often interrupted with new levels of escalation. At the forefront here were the Verdi negotiations with retailers, which were broken off time and time again and for which there is still no solution.
“The behavior of the collective bargaining parties is increasingly degenerating into a class struggle,” said Lesch, assessing the event. “We need more partnership and constructive discussions again.” In his opinion, it would be more productive if the negotiators made more effort in the future to understand the other party and, if the talks failed, first called mediators or arbitrators for help.