German metal workers striking for 6% pay raise

Berlin

GERMANY'S powerful metalworkers union has called for mass strikes from Monday over pay and working hours that could impact a key industry and the shape of labour nationwide.

IG Metall isn't just asking for a pay raise but also demanding the right for workers to temporarily switch to a 28-hour week to care for children or elderly relatives.

Employers say such a drastic change would be illegal and have threatened to go to court to stop the industrial action.

If the two sides can't agree on the terms of the negotiation by late January, the stage could be set…