IG BAU is demanding a wage rise of €500 per month for members of the industry. Credit: IG BAU.

Construction workers across various regions in Germany, including Lower Saxony, have initiated strike action demanding higher pay.  

The industrial action was confirmed by IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG BAU), a German trade union serving the construction and agriculture industries in the country. 

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The strike is set to expand throughout Germany over the course of the week, with IG BAU saying that the strikes will not be nationwide and will occur ‘selectively’. 

IG BAU called for the strike in Lower Saxony today (14 May) after employers dismissed a wage proposal from an independent arbitrator.  

The action threatens to disrupt major infrastructure and private housing projects, potentially mirroring the transport paralysis caused by previous strikes in the country’s rail and airline sectors, Bloomberg reported. 

The report claimed that this is the first time in 17 years that construction workers have walked off the job, demanding improved wages. 

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Arbitrator Rainer Schlegel proposed that workers in the domestic construction industry should receive an additional €250 ($270) per month, which is only half of the union’s initial demand for an increase of €500.  

Schlegel also recommended a 4.15% pay rise in Western German states and only below 5% in its eastern states after 11 months.  

Meanwhile, the industry’s main employer lobby group’s offer to raise wages for the lowest-paid workers to €14 per hour is less than the €14.38 per hour suggested by the arbitrator. 

IG BAU federal board member Carsten Burckhardt noted: “Our demand is clear: €500 more for everyone!” 

“We are starting the warning strike phase to send clear signals. Respect for our work and we are worth it. 

“I recommend that employers do not underestimate us as a union and the anger of their employees!”  

Germany’s construction industry employs approximately 930,000 people.