Christiane Benner, Second Chairwoman of IG Metall: “The traffic light coalition has demonstrated the ability to act in an extremely difficult situation. Employees expect security in change. Companies need planning security and a reliable framework for the urgently needed investments in the green transformation of industry. In this respect, the agreement is initially good news.
We criticize the fact that the coalition was unable to agree on the obvious thing: suspending the debt brake. With the cuts now planned, the federal government is instead putting itself in shackles that are harmful, especially in the current economic situation.
The small-scale and difficult compromise shows that we cannot continue like this. In the medium term, we need a reform of the debt brake that secures future investments. This has become more than clear again in this process.
The top representatives of all three traffic light parties have emphasized: The federal government is sticking to the goal of an ecological transformation of the industry. There should be no cuts in the social sector. Right now, social security and sustainable jobs are more important than ever. We will measure the coalition against this.”