Germany's Scholz welcomes lump sum in IG Metall pay deal - spokesperson

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomes the inclusion of a lump sum payment to workers in a pay deal that Germany's largest trade union, IG Metall, agreed on Friday with employers in a powerhouse region, a government spokesperson said.

The deal sets the benchmark for 3.9 million metal and electrical sector workers nationwide.

"I think it's a good tradition that we don't comment on independent bargaining agreements as a matter of principle. What I would like to say, however, is that the chancellor is very positive about the possibility of tax-free and levy-free one-off payments," the spokesperson told a government news conference.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel, editing by Rachel More)