A relatively high proportion of multinational corporations are estimated to be covered by collective agreements due to their size. Prominent cases show that MNCs, works councils and unions have made unobtrusive use of opening clauses in sector agreements, while some relocation decisions have provoked strong resistance on the part of employees.
Christoph Schröder IW-Trends No. 3 21. October 2022
The Cost Competitiveness of German Industry in Times of Multiple Crises
In 2021, German unit labour costs were an average of 13 per cent higher than in the 27 countries in our comparison and 8 per cent higher than in other countries in the Eurozone.
Helena Bach / Hagen Lesch / Sandra Vogel IW-Analyse No. 148 31. March 2022
The Legitimacy of Free Collective Bargaining in Germany
Since the signing of the Stinnes-Legien Agreement in 1918, the collective bargaining autonomy of Germany’s employers’ associations and trade unions has been the subject of continual political debate and at times its legitimacy even called into question.
Helena Bach / Hagen Lesch / Sandra Vogel IW
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