German Steel Crisis Puts 34.1 Million Tonnes in Perspective as Unions Plan Berlin Rally and Nationwide Walkouts

Thousands rally in Berlin as steel output hits 16-year low; ver.di fights health reforms; DGB rejects weekly hours shift; strikes hit Bahlsen and WDR.

Germany’s steel industry has sunk to its lowest production level in 16 years, and the IG Metall union is responding with a major demonstration in the capital. On June 12, thousands are expected to march from the Brandenburg Gate to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs. The protest targets a sector that produced just 34.1 million tonnes of steel in 2025 — a figure not seen since the depths of the 2009 financial crisis. Adding to the urgency, Thyssenkrupp has announced plans to eliminate approximately 11,000 jobs.

Union leaders such as Jürgen Kerner will address the rally, alongside politicians from the Greens and the Left Party. Saarland’s Minister-President Anke Rehlinger warned that a planned revision of the European Union’s emissions trading system could derail the industry’s green transformation. The demonstration is part of a broader wave of labor actions across Germany this week.

Hospital Entrances to Close Symbolically as ver.di Fights Health-Care Cuts

The ver.di union is mobilising nationwide against a draft law from Health Minister Nina Warken that would overhaul how statutory health insurance is financed. Ver.di argues that future collective-bargaining increases in hospitals would no longer be fully refinanced, and that nursing budgets could be capped.

On June 10, ver.di’s Hamburg branch has called a central protest in Hannover. In Bavaria, rallies are scheduled for June 9 and 10 in Munich and Nuremberg. As a symbolic climax, hospitals across the country plan to close their main entrances for two hours on the Friday when parliament debates the bill.

DGB Rejects Shift to Weekly Working Hours Ahead of Top-Level Talks

DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi has sharply criticised Chancellor Merz’s proposal to replace the daily maximum working time with a weekly limit. She called the reform agenda “economically and socially misguided.” A high-level meeting between the coalition committee, unions, and business representatives is set for June 10. The entire legislative package is expected to be passed by June 30.

Bahlsen and WDR Hit by Warning Strikes

In the consumer-goods sector, the NGG union called the early shift at the Bahlsen plant in Varel out on strike on June 8. The union demands a 5.8% wage increase; the employer’s latest offer was below 2%. Talks are scheduled to resume on June 22.

At public broadcaster WDR, the VRFF union launched a 24-hour warning strike on June 8, ahead of the fifth round of negotiations on June 9. The union is pressing for a better proposal after management suggested a zero increase for the current year.

Ver.di Warns of “Privatisation Through the Back Door” at Autobahn GmbH

Christine Behle, deputy chairwoman of ver.di, warned on June 8 that Transport Ministry plans for the Autobahn GmbH amount to “privatisation through the back door.” A draft would allow the state-owned company to finance investments via private lenders without state guarantees. Behle noted that the company already has about 1,000 vacant positions and urged full funding from the federal budget.

The state of the country’s transport infrastructure remains precarious. Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder inspected the full closure of the Bonn Nord Bridge (A565) on June 7, caused by corrosion damage. Business groups are calling for a new bridge within five years. Relief projects such as the so-called “Rheinspange” are still in early planning stages, according to the Autobahn GmbH. Heinrich Bökamp, president of the Engineering Chamber, criticized the bureaucratic hurdles that plague German construction projects.