Collective bargaining conflict escalates: warning strike at the Pritzwalk gear factory is imminent!

Collective bargaining conflict escalates: warning strike at the Pritzwalk gear factory is imminent!

Today, June 18, 2025, a dramatic event is taking place in the Pritzwalk gear factory. The workforce has decided to send a final warning to management and is planning a warning strike. This marks the sixth work stoppage in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, which has been raging for months. The MAZ Online reports an escalating situation in which IG Metall is announcing a strike vote on indefinite strikes if the company does not return to the negotiating table.

Anne Borchelt, the IG Metall negotiator, makes serious allegations against the management. According to her, this is blocking the conclusion of a new collective agreement, which is further heating up the mood among the workers. The demands of the workforce are clear: they demand a wage increase of at least 6.85 percent. However, the proposals that management has put forward are far below these demands and do not show any serious willingness to reach an agreement.

Hard fronts in the tariff dispute

The Pritzwalk gear factory employs over 200 people and specializes in the production of high-precision gears. Managing director Michael Bosse announced investments of two million euros in new machines in May, which makes some optimistic despite the slow negotiations. Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) sees the company as “well positioned for the future”. But the reality of the workers is different: loud Northern Courier They are struggling with a negative economic situation and high levels of absenteeism.

The management is currently only offering a wage increase of two percent for 2025 and a further two percent for 2026, combined with a controversial bonus system. The wages in the ZWP are 30 to 40 percent below the collective agreement in the metal and electrical industry and were last made adaptable 33 years ago. The lowest wage group is even at the minimum wage level, while at the same time high-quality gears are manufactured in a factory - a clear contradiction that drives the workers to protests.

A look at the tariff context

The situation at the Pritzwalk gear plant is not an isolated case. In Germany, the level of coverage by collective agreements fell from 67% in 2000 to 54% in 2018, which shows how important it is for employees to win and be bound to collective agreements. The proportion of collectively agreed companies has fallen sharply over the last two decades, which further underlines the negotiations and their importance; bpb provides a lot of information and statistics on the terminology.

The negotiations at the Pritzwalk gear plant are another chapter in the ongoing debate about fair pay and collective bargaining in Germany. If IG Metall has its way, a rethink must also take place here in order to finally pay employees wages that reflect their performance. It remains to be seen whether this warning strike can have an impact and open the doors for new conversations.