Works councils of IG Metall from over 30 companies with a total of more than three million employees worldwide are publicly campaigning for an EU regulation that effectively protects the rights of employees worldwide, improves their working conditions and strengthens environmental protection. The reason for this is a current EU directive that is intended to ensure exactly this and about which a vote will take place in the EU Parliament this Thursday, which is important for the further process. The 36 works council members of companies such as Airbus, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens and many others have now made a joint statement to speak out because they fear that the regulation will not receive the necessary support in the EU Parliament and is watered down in the further process.
The statement said: “We are in favor of the negotiated compromise being passed in the European Parliament and being negotiated in the trialogue with the Council and the Commission without further weakening. The current draft has the potential to compensate for central weaknesses in the German supply chain law and thus reduce the risks for those affected in the Global South even more effectively.”
With the planned vote on the so-called CSDD directive (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence) on June 1, the EU Parliament is clearing the way for the final deliberations in the Council and Commission. However, the conservatives in the European Parliament are trying to reject the negotiated compromise and thus take the wind out of their sails for further negotiations.
Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall: “We call on all members of the European Parliament to vote for the negotiated compromise with the signatory works councils of IG Metall. Only with strong support from the European Parliament can the directive be prevented from being further weakened. The due diligence of European companies must not fail because of ideological and political principles. Europe must take responsibility for equity in corporate global supply chains.”