Hanover – IG Metall is calling on companies and politicians to create future prospects, especially for employees in the supplier industry. “The level of indifference and irresponsibility towards the home location has reached a new level,” declared 220 works council members at the IG Metall supplier conference in Hanover. Jörg Hofmann, First Chairman of IG Metall, called on companies and politicians to provide more support: “The social support of the transformation is indispensable. Taxpayers cannot raise billions for the transformation of processes and products while applying the brakes on the transformation of employees.”
With almost 800,000 employees, the automotive and supplier industry is one of the core sectors of the German economy. More than 200,000 employees currently work directly for the powertrain. According to the “Hanoverian Declaration” of IG Metall, the aim must be to maintain industrial value creation in Germany, the innovative strength of suppliers and thus jobs: “Developing the industry in a sustainable way and shaping the transformation in a social and ecological way are central tasks of politics , companies and trade unions.” Instead, more and more companies are relocating their production and development to other European and Asian countries. According to an IG Metall survey in Baden-Württemberg, 44 percent of supplier companies are already doing this, and another 14 percent are planning to do so.
For a social and ecological transformation of the suppliers, the IG Metall demands:
Co-determined concepts for the future: “We call on companies to work together with the works councils on an equal footing on new business models with future-proof products.” It is important to increase the depth of added value in Germany, to reduce dependencies on other countries and to focus more on new areas such as battery cells, recycling and the circular economy. Regional transformation networks are an opportunity for this. Investments in future products at the existing locations are crucial. “IG Metall will actively enforce future collective agreements with the participation of the workforce and thus secure location and product commitments as well as employment.”
Fair competition: German and European politics should not allow workers and locations to be economically played off against each other. There is therefore an urgent need for answers, for example to the “Inflation Reduction Act” through an active and strategic industrial policy for Europe as a lead market for a successful energy and mobility transition. Small and medium-sized companies in particular need innovative models for liquidity and equity support. The European funding policy must take all regions into account.
Offensive qualification: Companies and politicians must invest in employees and also make a second training possible in working life. “Innovations are born in the minds of workforces that are well qualified and motivated,” the statement said. Qualification money and subsidized training time are important first steps, but they should not fail because of the cash situation.
“Anyone who receives funding must also be obliged to invest at the locations in Germany and to secure employment,” says the position paper.