23 German Plants Prepare for Warning Strikes as Action Starts on November 2
Key Facts
IG Metall is preparing warning strikes at 23 plants in the Mannheim region, including Daimler Truck, Daimler Buses, John Deere and Caterpillar, after the peace obligation in Germany’s metal and electrical industries expired on October 31, 2026. The union’s Baden-Württemberg branch said warning strikes would be possible from midnight on November 1. It added that major strikes in the state would begin on Monday, November 2. This means that including companies in the preparation plan does not confirm that a strike has actually taken place there. The move puts the dispute over wages and the future of workplaces to a test of on-the-ground escalation after negotiations stalled.
The union is seeking a 5% pay increase over 12 months for about 900,000 workers in Baden-Württemberg’s metal and electrical industries. IG Metall President Christiane Benner said the union wanted to "protect purchasing power and the future at workplaces." In her remarks, Benner accused employers of making an offer that had stirred resentment and anger among workers. The second round of negotiations ended without progress, according to a statement from the union’s state branch. The union said it was awaiting an improved offer and a proposal for the future of industry in the next round.
The date of the third round had not been set in the union’s update, while IG Metall said dates were still being planned. This comes as warning strikes became possible with the end of the peace obligation, while the local branch prepares actions at multiple industrial plants. The names cited by the Mannheim branch include Daimler Truck and Daimler Buses, as well as John Deere, Caterpillar, ZF WABCO and ABB. In a separate statement, the branch detailed preparations at 23 plants. The announced actions remain part of strike preparations and are not evidence that they have taken place at every listed plant.
The negotiations are taking place amid limited growth in the German economy, with gross domestic product rising 0.2% in the third quarter compared with the second quarter of 2026. Destatis said consumer spending was slightly higher, while investment declined and export growth slowed. On an annual basis, growth was 1.3% after price adjustment, or 1.2% after adjustment for prices and working days. The agency is due to publish detailed results on economic performance in the third quarter on November 25. These indicators provide an economic backdrop to the negotiations at a time when components of demand and activity are showing mixed performance.
Manufacturing orders have fluctuated from month to month, rising 3.2% in July from June and increasing 14.0% year on year before falling 10.6% in August from July. Nevertheless, orders rose 1.3% from June to August compared with the previous three months. Destatis attributed most of August’s decline to a 61.5% drop in orders for other transport equipment, after they rose 129.4% in July because of an exceptionally large volume of major orders. Excluding major orders, manufacturing orders fell 0.1% in August from July, despite rising 2.7% compared with August 2025. The figures place union actions in an industrial sector where demand readings vary from one month to the next.