Warning strikes in the steel sector continued in Germany Thursday with the IG Metall trade union saying more than 11,500 employees halted work for up to four hours.

The warning strikes affected 38 companies in the north-western region of Germany, with the action centered on the cities of Duisburg and Bochum, according to the trade union.

"Zero offer, zero fairness from the employers, this has to end," said Oliver Burkhard, head of IG Metall's North Rhine-Westphalia region. "We expect an offer in the coming week, that will not be just a drop in the ocean...Everybody must benefit from the upswing, also temporary staff and trainees."

The strikes come as the trade union has demanded a 6% pay rise for the 85,000 employees in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bremen amid a surprisingly strong recovery of Germany's economy. It has also called for equal pay for equal work for temporary workers and regular staff.

Negotiations with employers are set to continue to Sept. 29.

The pay demand kicked off the first big round of wage talks in Germany after last year's recession, which was the worst in six decades. The demand comes after relatively moderate wage deals in the sector over the past few years and sets the tone for other wage negotiations to start next year.

Economists expect the German economy, which is currently Europe's growth engine, to accelerate by 3% or even more this year and by up to 2% in 2011.

The strikes in the steel sector took place at companies such as ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, Krupp Mannesmann GmbH, and ArcelorMittal Hochfeld GmbH.

More warning strikes are planned for Friday, with the focus at plants in Bremen, Duesseldorf and Georgsmarienhuette.

-By Andrea Thomas, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 30 2888 4126; andrea.thomas@dowjones.com
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