Collective bargaining conflict escalates: Warning strikes in large laundries are having an effect!

Collective bargaining conflict escalates: Warning strikes in large laundries are having an effect!

A lot is happening in the northern German landscape of the textile industry. The fourth collective bargaining will take place in Göttingen on Monday, July 7, 2025, with employees of large laundries already putting a lot of pressure on employers. IG Metall, at the forefront of this movement, is demanding up to 6 percent more wages for the approximately 23,000 employees who work in this industry, which is so important for public health. The resistance is noticeable: Over 5,000 employees have already taken part in warning strikes, which represents a higher participation than in the past, IG Metall reports in its current press release. IG Metall reports.

The employees in large laundries play a central role in the areas of hygiene and health. Despite the high levels of stress they experience every day, many of them receive wages that are in the low-wage range. To counteract this, the union is demanding at least 180 euros more per month for the lower salary groups and improved regulations regarding partial retirement. The employers' drafts, however, are meager: an increase of 1.9 percent or at least 50 euros per month is planned from 2026 and a further 2.2 percent from 2027, but without minimum amounts for the lowest wage groups. In addition, a one-off payment of 140 euros should not be made until December 2025.

Protest and resistance

The employers' offer has already been vehemently rejected by the employees. According to a survey, 92 percent of participants are in favor of expanding the warning strikes. IG Metall negotiator Miriam Bürger emphasizes the importance of these actions and criticizes the existing offers as insufficient to provide a living income, especially for employees who work under high stress but are paid low wages. These protests are also taking concrete form, as the loud actions and car parades in Dietzenbach show. The DGB emphasizes.

As is clear across the textile industry, there are also successes to be noted. During collective bargaining, 22,000 employees in the West German textile and clothing industry received a one-off payment of 275 euros in July 2025 as well as regular, memorable increases in the coming years. However, the situation remains tense for many in the industry as pressure continues to increase on people doing hard physical work. What is certain, however, is that the employees of large laundries expect and need changes. North Rhine-Westphalia IG Metall points out.

On July 7th there will not only be negotiations in Göttingen, but also a solidarity campaign at the “Hotel Freizeit In” that will help amplify the voice of the employees. This makes it clear: There is something to be said for the future of working conditions in the textile industry. The coming days could be crucial in achieving some fair pay and better working conditions for those affected in this persistently difficult situation.