Results of a Company Survey: Attitudes Towards Binding Collective Bargaining in the Metal and Electrical Industry

Among enterprises with a firm-level agreement, this number rises to 80 per cent. Companies bound by a sector-level agreement are critical of pay levels – especially for low-skilled jobs – the privileges for older employees and the working-time arrangements. For companies which do not subscribe to the collective bargaining process, pay levels and working-time arrangements are their main reasons for opting out. However, many such firms none the less base their working conditions on individual provisions of the relevant sector-level agreement. If collective bargaining is to be strengthened, the bargaining parties must tackle the critical provisions of sector-level agreements and emphasise their flexibility. The statutory extension of collective agreements to cover non-signatory companies, on the other hand, would make their adoption mandatory without addressing the real problems they present.