Guide: ERA, pay grades & special payments explained
Clear explanations of the IG Metall ERA collective agreement — from Entgeltgruppen (pay grades) and the Eckentgelt to the Leistungszulage, T-Zug, holiday and Christmas pay.
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What is ERA? The IG Metall Entgeltrahmenabkommen explained
The Entgeltrahmenabkommen replaces the old split between wage and salary with one shared system of pay grades.
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Pay grades & steps in the metal industry explained
The pay grade sets the requirement, the step reflects experience — but the systems differ widely by region.
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The Eckentgelt – the anchor value of the ERA scale
The Eckentgelt is the reference value that all pay grades hang off as percentage additions and deductions.
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The Leistungszulage (performance bonus) in the ERA agreement
A percentage supplement on the base salary whose plant-wide average is fixed by the agreement.
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T-Zug A, T-Zug B and T-Zug T simply explained
Three collectively agreed extra payments with different bases — one of them convertible into free days.
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Holiday pay & Christmas pay in the metal industry
Two collectively agreed annual payments – one tied to holiday days, the other to tenure.
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The 35-hour week & hourly wage in the metal industry
35 hours is contractual full time – a fixed formula turns your monthly pay into an hourly wage.
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Apprentice pay in the metal and electrical industry
Apprentice pay rises each year of training and follows its own rules on special payments.
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Pay rises vs. inflation: what is really left of the tariff increases?
The tariff table rose sharply in nominal terms since 2018 – but inflation rose more. What is really left of the increases, computed cleanly from the data.
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What is left of a pay rise after tax? Bracket creep explained
Gross is not net: why less of a pay rise arrives after tax and social contributions – and how bracket creep works, shown with computed figures.
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