More than 413,000 workers have taken part in warning strikes across Germany's metal and electrical industries, after the latest round of pay talks ended without agreement.

IG Metall, the country's largest industrial union, is demanding a 5% pay rise over 12 months, along with job and site guarantees, higher trainee pay and profit-sharing for lower-paid groups. The dispute covers about 3.7 million workers across carmaking, machinery, electronics and metal production.

Employers have offered a one-off payment worth about 1% of annual pay in July 2027 and a permanent 1.3% rise from July 2028, an offer the union has dismissed as effectively a pay cut in real terms. Further national talks are scheduled for Monday in Düsseldorf, and the union has warned it will widen the action, including possible 24-hour stoppages, if employers do not improve their offer.

Stoppages hit carmakers and suppliers

Warning strikes have hit major sites including BMW, Audi, Siemens and Airbus, with concentrated action in Bavaria. The strikes gathered pace on Monday 2 November, with workers at companies including Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tata Steel downing tools. Employers say many firms face weak output and tight cost pressures, and have urged the union to show restraint.

The dispute is now one of the biggest tests of German industrial relations this year, with Monday's talks deciding whether the action escalates further or a settlement emerges.