In Chemnitz employees at Siemens and Thyssenkrupp stopped work for four hours on Friday, 6 November 2026. The actions were part of the IG Metall called for on warning strikes in the ongoing collective bargaining round for the metal and electrical industries. According to the union, the protest was directed against the employers’ offer from the second round of talks, which provided for a 1.3 per cent pay rise over a long term. IG Metall described the offer as inadequate.
The union is demanding a five per cent pay rise, targeted improvements for lower pay bands, collective agreements to safeguard jobs and sites, and a share of profits at financially successful companies. IG Metall cites continuing price rises and increased living costs as the reason for its demands. The limited-duration warning strikes are intended to increase pressure in the negotiations without permanently breaching the peace obligation.
According to regional reports, the actions in Chemnitz were organised locally and lasted four hours. Reliable information on production losses, numbers taking part or immediate economic consequences was not available by the afternoon. Siemens and Thyssenkrupp had issued no statements on the specific impact at the Chemnitz site by the time of reporting.
The collective bargaining round for the metal and electrical industries in 2026 is being conducted in parallel across several districts; the Berlin-Brandenburg districtSaxony coordinates activities in Saxony. According to consistent accounts from IG Metall, similar warning strikes have taken place at numerous businesses in the region in recent days. The aim is to underline the union’s room for manoeuvre ahead of the next round of negotiations.
What happens next depends on the offers made by the employers’ side at the upcoming negotiation meetings. IG Metall announced that it would extend or vary the warning strikes depending on how talks progress. Employers’ associations have previously justified longer agreement terms and restrained settlements on the grounds that they provide planning certainty; no specific new proposals were available on Friday. Both sides reiterated their intention to continue talks.
The industrial action in Chemnitz is thus part of the nationwide warning strikes in the metal and electrical industries. Further local actions are possible in Saxony if negotiations make no headway. An agreement would be expected only after both sides reach a deal and their respective committees approve it.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).