Wage dispute settled: More pay in the confectionery industry after warning strikes

A labor dispute in the confectionery industry in Lower Saxony and Bremen has been resolved, with the NGG union and employers agreeing to a new wage contract. The agreement benefits over 3,600 employees in the sector.

The new contract includes a total wage increase of more than 6 percent, distributed across three stages over a two-year period. This outcome was achieved after three rounds of negotiations and substantial warning strikes at various company locations.

The NGG union had initially demanded a 5.8 percent wage increase, retroactive to June 1, with a 12-month contract duration. The final agreement slightly exceeds this demand but extends over two years. Warning strikes were called to increase pressure on employers.

The settlement largely mirrors an agreement reached the previous day in Berlin between the NGG and the German Confectionery Industry Association (BDSI). The BDSI had commented that further concessions were not justifiable under the current economic conditions.