Munich (dpa / lby) – In the wage conflict in the metal and electrical industry, the BMW plants in Bavaria went on strike on Thursday. IG Metall announced that more than 8,000 employees in the BMW plants in Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg and Landshut brought the production lines to a standstill for up to two and a half hours. Another 8,000 metal workers took part in warning strikes in 40 other Bavarian companies, including the flight supplier Premium Aerotec in Augsburg and the agricultural machinery manufacturer AGCO in Marktoberdorf.

In the nationwide collective bargaining dispute, IG Metall is demanding eight percent more wages for a contract term of twelve months. Employers offered a one-off payment of 3,000 euros net for a period of 30 months, as well as an unspecified increase in the wage tables. The fourth round of collective bargaining for the approximately 855,000 employees in Bavaria was adjourned on Tuesday without any significant rapprochement. The Bavarian IG Metall district leader Johann Horn said: “The patience of the employees is now at an end.”