IG Metall union, Germany's biggest industrial union with 2.7 million members nationwide, launched the first of a series of one-day strikes today. The strikes follow fifteen months of negotiations that hinged on the unions request for a raise of at least 4%, with employers offering 3.3. Analysts warn the strikes could slow the European economic recovery, but some unionists are calling for more traditional, long-term strikes.
See "German Union Strikes in Full Gear", Associated Press, The New York Times, May 5, 2002