Frankfurt am Main – In view of the tense economic situation, slow progress in transformation and political disagreement in the federal and state governments, IG Metall has presented an eleven-point program: For a modern, innovative and fair industrial country. The program was developed with the chairmen of the general and group works councils of large companies in all industrial sectors. Across industry boundaries and company divisions, they are demanding massive investments, better framework conditions and a clear commitment to Germany as an industrial location from employers and politicians.
“The works councils know the situation in the companies very well – the major challenges as well as the often questionable management recipes. Their clear message: The situation is serious, there is a lot at stake, decisive action is now required,” said the first chairwoman of IG Metall, Christiane Benner, at a meeting with more than 40 general and group works council chairmen in Frankfurt am Main. “But one thing is also clear: dark horror scenarios don’t help, nor do the same calls for flexibility and less welfare state. We are in the middle of a profound upheaval. As IG Metall, we will do everything we can to ensure that this upheaval becomes a breakthrough for good and safe work.”
Jürgen Kerner, Second Chairman, urges those responsible in business and politics to speed up: “The problems have been identified, the solutions are on the table. Politicians – government and opposition – must now show how they want to finance and accompany the investments in the century-long transformation of our industry towards a climate-neutral production and economic system.” Employers also have to rethink: “Dismantling and relocations are not concepts for the future. We need courage, clear strategies and investments on site as well as a pact to secure our locations. We as IG Metall are ready for this.”
In its eleven-point program, IG Metall is calling on the private sector and the public sector to make more investments in public infrastructure and the restructuring of industry, a reliable course in the mobility transition and an industrial electricity price for energy-intensive industries. However, the debt brake stands in the way of the necessary investments, subsidies and relief. A reform is therefore overdue. IG Metall supports the call for the introduction of the so-called golden rule, which would exempt investments from the debt brake. The new debt limit should also be raised from 0.35 to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product. This alone would create additional scope of around 47 billion euros per year, according to the paper. A special fund for transformation is also conceivable.
IG Metall also advocates speeding up the planning and approval processes: through sufficient staff in the authorities, digitalization and modernization of the administration, and by eliminating double and multiple inspections. “But anyone who wants to tighten up the Working Hours Act or suspend the Supply Chain Act under the well-sounding motto of reducing bureaucracy will meet with our determined resistance!” the paper continues.
The comprehensive restructuring of the industry as well as the short-term economic support must be designed socially, state support must be linked to rules such as collective bargaining and agreements to secure employment and locations, emphasizes IG Metall in its program and complains about an imbalance in the current debate: “While We demand investments in the future of our country, parties like the FDP are relying on austerity policies, social cuts or extending working hours. We will neither accept the abolition of the pension without deductions after 45 years of insurance nor the freezing of all new social benefits for three years. It is fair when strong shoulders carry more in challenging times. Specifically: Top earners and the super-rich must participate appropriately. We can only strengthen our democracy with fair burden sharing.”
The program was developed and discussed at a meeting of the general and group works council chairmen of large industrial companies, including Airbus, BMW, Bosch, Daimler, Ford, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, Infineon, Liebherr, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Siemens, Thyssenkrupp, Volkswagen and other. All major industrial sectors within IG Metall’s area of responsibility were represented, such as the automotive industry, IT, aerospace, mechanical engineering, the electrical industry, rail vehicle construction and steel.
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