Foreign trade – Munich – Metal and electrical industry exports less in terms of volume – Bavaria
Munich (dpa) – The exports of the Bavarian metal and electrical industry are declining in quantity despite increasing sales. In July, from this point of view, the companies exported almost 12 percent less than in the same month last year, the two employers’ associations bayme and vbm announced on Sunday. “The demand for M+E products from Bavaria is falling,” explained CEO Bertram Brossardt. “That doesn’t let us hope for anything good in the coming months. The companies are in crisis mode.”
The announcement is against the background of the current collective bargaining round, in which IG Metall is demanding eight percent more wages and salaries. Employers reject this as unaffordable. In July, the Bavarian metal and electrical industry exported products worth 11.3 billion euros, which was 4.8 percent more than a year earlier. According to employers, however, this growth is exclusively due to the price increases associated with high inflation. “The turnover of the companies increases, but the cost increases are much higher,” said Brossardt.
Imported inputs are around 20 percent more expensive than a year earlier, and energy import prices have risen by 140 percent. Apart from that, Brossardt emphasized that export sales are still lower than in the last economically good year 2018. He appealed to the union to “keep moderate” in their wage demands.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220925-99-889110/2