Schroder's football plan to beat strike

STRIKING German workers threatening the country's fragile economic recovery are being tempted back to work with the offer of 'football breaks' during the World Cup.

The lure of downing tools to watch soccer is being used as a negotiating tactic with the IG Metall union, which cost Europe's biggest economy £100m in lost production last week. The strikes were set to spread to Berlin today.

Gerhard Schroder, the embattled Chancellor seeking re-election in September, is seriously considering the beautiful game as being his best chance to keep his beautiful job. Kurt Beck, the Social Democrat president of Rhineland-Pfalz, is seeking approval from his local parliament to provide workers with breaks during German matches. It is understood Beck has the full backing of the Chancellor, who may try to force through a temporary law for the duration of the tournament.

Because of the times that games are being played in Korea and Japan, most people will be at work. Providing stoppages is seen by the government - trailing in every poll behind the Conservatives due to catastrophic unemployment, the desperate state of the economy and a dwindling welfare system - as one sure way of luring back the blue-collar vote.

'No one should underestimate the feelgood factor that football can bring to this election race,' said Kurt Kohler, a political analyst. 'A few goals, a German victory and Schroder could have the keys to the Chancellery in his pocket for the next five years. He knows it and he wants to take credit for bringing the game of the masses to them in the workplace.'

German workers are already the most cosseted and underworked on the Continent. IG Metall is currently in a fight for a 6.5% wage increase when the employers have offered 3.3% spread over 15 months.

Throwing the free football breaks into the equation might get both sides talking before the end of next week, a Schroder aide said. IG Metall said it was unimpressed with the football olive branch. 'This is about pay and equality, even though watching our team wouldn't be something we would say no to,' said a spokesman.

All 64 games of the World Cup will be broadcast in Germany despite the collapse of the Kirch Media empire which owns the rights to them.