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# Germany's biggest union walks out at Audi and Mercedes. Bosses offered a 1.3% raise in 2028.
- URL: https://www.workersrights.news/ig-metall-strikes-audi-mercedes-5-percent-raise/
- Published: 2026-11-03T17:49:41.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T17:49:41.000Z
- Description: IG Metall wants 5% for 3.7 million metal and electrical workers and calls the employers' offer a pay cut in real terms.
- Author: WorkersRights.News Team
- Tags: Economy

Germany's largest union started a wave of strikes Monday at metal and electrical companies including Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tata Steel, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/2/german-unions-launch-wave-of-strikes-over-cost-of-living-pressures?ref=workersrights.news). The union, IG Metall, bargains for about 3.7 million workers in those industries, and the walkouts are expected to run through the week.

### What workers want, and what bosses offered

IG Metall is asking for a 5% raise, protections for jobs and plants, and profit-sharing in sectors that are doing well, according to Al Jazeera.

Employers offered a one-time payment equal to 1% of pay in July 2027 and a 1.3% raise starting in July 2028\. Companies in financial trouble could skip the one-time payment. The union rejected the offer as "a pay cut in real terms" and called for more strikes.

These are warning strikes: short walkouts meant to show strength while talks continue. In the last bargaining round in 2024, more than 100,000 workers walked out on peak days. IG Metall plans to release turnout figures for this wave on Friday.

### Part of a bigger fight over the cost of living

The strikes follow protests over living costs, housing and schools across Europe, with unrest in Belgium, France and Spain. On Saturday, thousands rallied in Berlin and more than 30 other German cities, Al Jazeera reported.

### Why it matters here

The offer on the table looks familiar to American workers: a small one-time payment now, a raise two years out, and an escape hatch for the employer. [Paychecks here fell behind prices again](https://www.workersrights.news/real-wages-fall-health-costs-employment-cost-index-q3-2026/) in the latest federal data.

Watch for the union's turnout numbers Friday and for whether employers improve the offer before the strikes grow.

### Sources

- [German unions launch wave of strikes over cost-of-living pressures](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/2/german-unions-launch-wave-of-strikes-over-cost-of-living-pressures?ref=workersrights.news) (Al Jazeera)