In the ongoing metalworkers’ trade talks, IG Metall head Jürgen Peters has again rejected employer demands for longer working hours. Adding five hours or extra working time represents “about a 13 percent wage decrease,” said Peters, adding that he anticipated another heated round of discussion. Peters defended the trade union’s core demand for a 4 percent wage and salary increase. “We’re not going to let salaries be regulated down,” he said. “This is a country of high prices, therefore we need high salaries in order to keep up some sort of standard of living.”