Leipzig – Works councils from the new federal states are demanding certainty from the federal government in times of change – especially with a view to the transformation in eastern Germany. Politicians must build sustainable bridges into the working world of tomorrow with active structural, industrial and labor market policies, it was said at the “Works Council Conference East”, to which IG Metall had invited around 180 employee representatives from the new federal states.
Jörg Hofmann, First Chairman of IG Metall, warned against neglecting the long-term shaping of the transformation in view of the many crises: “People in East Germany have already experienced a major transformation of industry, business and society with the reunification. Many associate it with economic descent and personal defeats. That mustn’t happen again. Politicians and employers are responsible for ensuring that the ecological transformation succeeds. It must not lead to further inequality, but must open up new opportunities for workers in the East.”
Carsten Schneider, Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor and Federal Government Commissioner for East Germany, said at the East Works Council Conference in Leipzig: “People in East Germany know how change works. They have already proven in the past that they can deal with the transformation of social, economic and political circumstances. These skills are relevant again now: The effects of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on Germany and Europe are accelerating the upcoming changes in the energy transition. The energy transition is also an opportunity, especially for eastern Germany as a region of the future. A lot of new things are emerging here, for example in the course of the expansion of the hydrogen industry, which the Federal Government and the East German states have recently committed themselves to promoting. Together with all partners, politics, business and above all with the trade unions, we will shape this change and pay particular attention to the employees in East Germany. I am convinced that we will succeed in making the change.”
Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall and in this function, among other things, responsible for regional structural policy in the new federal states: “The ‘restraint in the East’ is over. The young generation in particular is making it clear that they expect good pay and the same working hours for qualified work as in West Germany. This also becomes clear in the operational disputes surrounding the introduction of the 35-hour week. The first stones have broken out of the working time wall. The low-wage business model is now a thing of the past. East Germany has industrial policy perspectives, the current settlements show that. Here, too, the employees will fight for codetermined work. However, politics is still in demand: In times of transformation, employees need more say and, above all, more participation in strategic location decisions.”
Once a year, IG Metall invites works councils from the new federal states to the Eastern Works Council Conference to exchange ideas with practitioners, politicians and experts. For two days this year, around 180 colleagues dealt with the opportunities and risks of transformation, regional structural policy and the further implementation of the 35-hour week in the East.
During the conference, the works council prize “TOGETHER. COMMITTED. BRAVE. – FOR A GOOD FUTURE”. The work of the works councils of FTE Möve Antriebssysteme received an award. The works council successfully fended off the planned closure of the site and was also able to prevent the dismissal of 100 employees. Instead, the employee representatives convinced with their own future concept, so that the location is secured for the time being.