Jörg Hofmann, First Chairman of IG Metall on the key issues paper for an industrial electricity price presented today by the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs:
“IG Metall has been putting pressure on competitive industrial electricity prices for a long time, so that the energy-intensive basic industry and the well-paid, collectively agreed jobs that come with it have a future in Germany. It’s a good thing that the Federal Minister of Economics, with his current working paper, once again clearly acknowledges the need for an industrial electricity price and is taking concrete action.
From our point of view, the paper contains important cornerstones: The clear restriction to energy-intensive industry and a time limit as a bridge until sufficient cheap regenerative energy is available is necessary in order to avoid deadweight effects. The target of 6 cents per kilowatt hour is an order of magnitude that can be represented in international competition. Indispensable from our point of view: Companies that want to benefit from the industrial electricity price must be obliged to invest in the transformation, to guarantee locations and to adhere to tariffs. It is important that works councils and the relevant trade unions are closely involved and that agreements are made to secure jobs.
The industrial electricity price is about a lot: what is at stake is industrial value creation and thus the future of good jobs in Germany. If we do not succeed in transforming the basic industry into the climate-neutral age and thereby strengthening closed value creation networks in this country, this will have dramatic effects on the entire industrial location – far beyond the branches of the basic industry. In this respect, an industrial electricity price also strengthens the future industries in Germany.”