Strikes loom in German construction after employers reject offer

A strike is looming in Germany's construction industry after employers on Friday rejected an arbitrator's decision for some 930,000 affected workers.

The IG BAU union had previously said that it would take industrial action if employers rejected the arbitrated decision, which it had accepted in late April.

That decision would have provided for an increase in income of 250 euros per month from May 1, 2024, with a further increase on April 1, 2025, of 4.15% in western Germany and 4.95% in eastern Germany. It would run for 24 months until the end of March 2026.