IG BCE and employers adopt joint declaration on partnership and branch-level bargaining

In February 1999, the German Mining, Chemicals and Energy Union (IG BCE) and 22 employers' associations expressed their support in principle for the German system of branch-level collective bargaining and for its further development.

In October 1997 the Mining, Chemicals and Energy Union (Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie, IG BCE) was founded as a result of a merger of the mining, chemicals and leather workers' trade unions (DE9710233F). Since then, the new IG BCE union has concluded branch-level collective agreements with 22 different employers' associations representing industries such as chemicals, rubber, paper, glass, mining, energy, leather and shoemaking. In total, these industries cover about 1.2 million employees.

On 10 February 1999, on the initiative of IG BCE and the employers' association for the chemicals industry (Bundesarbeitgeberverband Chemie, BAVC), a first joint meeting was held between the union and representatives from all 22 employers' associations. The aim of the meeting was to discuss problems of common concern, such as the further development of collective bargaining in the branches involved. At the end of the meeting, IG BCE and all 22 employers' associations adopted the "social partners' Berlin declaration (Berliner Sozialpartner-Deklaration)", which contains two main parts:

1. a joint position on principles; and

2. a joint position on collective bargaining autonomy and a modern system of branch-level agreements.

In the joint position on principles, IG BCE and the 22 employers' associations declare their agreement in principle on:

• the model of the social market economy (soziale Marktwirtschaft) and social partnership (Sozialpartnerschaft). The parties see the consensus approach as an indispensable precondition for successful industrial relations. Furthermore, they agree that the new "alliance for jobs" (Bündnis für Arbeit) at national level (DE9812286N) must be based on the same principles;

• the need to give the safeguarding and promotion of employment top priority in joint policy developments. Against the background of persistently high unemployment and increasing global market pressures, both sides declare their willingness to continue with an "employment- and competition-oriented collective bargaining policy" in order to keep competitive and sustainable production industries in Germany;

• the need for further development of the concept of "social partnership" in order to find "constructive" and "ideology-free" ways for achieving necessary reforms and to adopt to changing conditions in the future.

The joint position on collective bargaining contains the following provisions:

• both sides express their support for the principle of collective bargaining autonomy (Tarifautonomie) as a major pillar of the German economic model and reject all efforts to limit or destroy this principle; and

• both sides declare their support in principle for the system of branch-level collective agreements. It is seen as a joint aim to have high collective bargaining coverage, while at the same time branch-level agreements should allow scope for differentiation and flexibility at company level, eg by the introduction of "opening clauses (DE9709229F)".