德國工會贏得28小時工作周權利

German workers won a key victory in their fight for a better work-life balance when a big employers’ group agreed to demands from the country’s largest trade union for the introduction of a 28-hour working week. 德國工人在爭取更好的工作與生活平衡方面取得一項關鍵勝利，一個大型雇主組織同意了該國最大工會提出的關于允許28小時工作周的要求。

The agreement between IG Metall, which represents a swath of industrial workers, and the Südwestmetall employers’ federation, shows how unions in Germany that for years have been models of wage restraint are flexing their muscles in ways more typical of organised labour in France, home of the 35-hour working week. 代表多個產業(yè)工人的德國金屬業(yè)工會(IG Metall)與西南金屬電氣雇主協會(Südwestmetall)達成的協議，顯示了多年來在工資要求上一直是克制典范的德國工會，正以更像法國工會組織的方式展示自己的力量。法國實行35小時工作周。

It also comes as Germany is in the midst of its longest postwar stretch without a government. Angela Merkel is struggling through a fifth month of coalition negotiations that have raised questions over whether a country that once lectured Europe on economic and political stability is losing its way. 這份勞資協議達成之際，德國正處于戰(zhàn)后最漫長的無政府時期。安格拉•默克爾(Angela Merkel)正艱難推進已進入第五個月的執(zhí)政聯盟談判，由此引發(fā)的問題是：曾經在經濟和政治穩(wěn)定上給歐洲其他國家上課的德國，是否正在迷失方向?

The labour deal is a product of a boom that has given unions an unusually strong hand in collective bargaining. The economy last year grew at its fastest rate since 2011 and unemployment is at its lowest since reunification in 1990. 這份勞資協議是當前繁榮的產物，此輪繁榮使工會在集體談判中掌握異乎尋常的好牌。去年德國經濟增速是自2011年以來最快的，而失業(yè)率處于自1990年統(tǒng)一以來的最低點。

Stefan Wolf, Südwestmetall’s chief negotiator , warned the deal was a “burden, which will be hard to bear for many firms”. 西南金屬電氣雇主協會的首席談判代表斯特凡•沃爾夫(Stefan Wolf)警告說，該勞資協議是一個“負擔，將讓很多公司難以承受”。

The settlement was reached yesterday after six rounds of often bruising talks and a series of 24-hour strikes. The two-year deal covers 900,000 workers in the metals and electrical industries in Baden-Württemberg, home to several of the most high-profile German groups, including Daimler 協議于昨日達成，此前勞資雙方進行了六輪艱苦談判，工會還組織了一連串24小時罷工。為期兩年的協議涵蓋巴登-符騰堡州(Baden-Württemberg)金屬和電氣行業(yè)的90萬名工人。戴姆勒(Daimler)和博世(Bosch)等多家知名德國集團都以該州為大本營。

and Bosch. 但金屬業(yè)工會達成的協議被視為整個德國工業(yè)的基準，預計該協議將被其他行業(yè)參照。

But IG Metall’s agreements are seen as benchmarks for the whole of German industry, and it is now expected to be rolled out in other sectors. 雙方同意從4月起加薪4.3%，其他款項將在27個月期間陸續(xù)支付。工人們將被允許把工作周從標準的35小時縮短到28小時，同時保留重返全職工作的權利。雇主成功地抵制了金屬業(yè)工會對于每周工作時間減少后、讓工人獲得相同或相似薪資的要求。

The parties agreed on a 4.3 per cent wage raise from April, and other payments spread over 27 months. Workers will be allowed to reduce their working week from the standard 35 hours to 28 while preserving the right to return to full-time work. Employers successfully resisted IG Metall’s demand that workers receive the same, or similar, pay for fewer hours worked a week. 譯者/和風