After weeks of mobilizing and more than 20 strikes, IUF affiliate NGG achieved a significant breakthrough in defending meat workers’ rights and winning improved wages and conditions. Confronting widespread rights violations, exploitation of workers in the German meat sector and outbreaks of COVID-19, NGG organized workers in more than ten languages, bridged cultural differences around workers’ rights and employment law, and brought together the core workforce with former subcontracted workers to grow its membership and won:
- a nationwide minimum wage that covers the entire meat industry and its 160,000 workers:
*August 2021 to 10,80 € per hour
*January 2022 to 11 €
*December 2022 to 11,50 €
*December 2023 to 12,30 €
- a 28 % pay raise over the state minimum wage of 9,60 € per hour
- increased membership in the meat sector of 1500 workers in 2021
This win builds on NGG’s championing of new legislation achieved in January 2021 which enhances controls in the meat sector, introduces severe fines in case of violations, and bans sub-contracting and temporary agency work in slaughtering and cutting.
IUF Assistant General Secretary welcomed the announcement, “NGG fought a tireless battle to end rights abuses and improve the lives of meat workers across Germany. In doing so it sent a strong message to meat industry employers across Europe that the fight for decent wages and secure work will spread and continue until all meat workers are protected by union membership and collective bargaining.”
