German Workers Reject Contract; New Strike Unlikely

Germany’s largest public employees union voted Thursday to reject a wage contract that ended a crippling 11-day strike last week. But it did not appear that the workers would resume their walkout.

The OeTV public employees union rejected a 5.4% wage increase worked out by government and union leaders on May 7. After three days of voting, 55.9% of members voted against the pact.

But it appeared that neither the OeTV leadership nor the rank and file were ready to resume the strike, which idled public transit, closed airports and left garbage piled up on the streets.

OeTV leaders will meet May 25 to decide whether to put the wage agreement into force on their own authority.

Meanwhile, the powerful IG Metall engineers and metalworkers union appeared headed for a strike after the failure of wage talks Thursday in several districts, including the largest in North Rhine Westphalia state.

IG Metall originally demanded a 9.5% wage increase this year, although it has since shown some willingness to compromise. But employers thus far haven’t budged from their original offer of 3.3%.

A full-blown walkout could shut down Germany’s auto industry, as a similar strike did in 1984.