Report

Strikes are indispensable: WSI Industrial Action Report 2026

The 2025 collective bargaining year in Germany was once again characterised by numerous strikes. The WSI recorded 261 industrial disputes in 2025, meaning there were fewer collective bargaining disputes accompanied by strikes than in the two previous years. However, the number of disputes remained at a high level compared to the long-term average. At the same time, the number of workplaces affected by strikes has risen sharply over the past two decades. In contrast, the volume of industrial action in 2025, estimated by the WSI at 645,000 days lost due to strikes, was significantly lower than in previous years and below the long-term trend. The same applies to the estimated number of 552,000 strike participants in 2025. These figures point to a change in the way trade unions conduct industrial action: single, temporary warning strikes predominate, while open-ended sector-wide strikes have become rare.

For the first time, the WSI has also quantitatively analysed the trade unions` industrial action objectives for 2025: in more than one in four industrial actions, workers were fighting for companies to be covered by collective agreements (for the first time); strikes over company- level collective agreements predominate. Accordingly, trade unions devote a significant proportion of their resources to prevent a further decline in collective bargaining coverage.