Closures, relocations, job cuts: Auto industry workers are fighting back and sending a message during the day of action on September 21. Achim Dietrich, chairman of the ZF General Works Council, talks about management mistakes, the causes of the crisis, and why the workers aren’t to blame, among other things.
The shock runs deep: Avnet Logistics announces the closure of its Poing facility. But the workers aren’t giving up. Together with IG Metall, they organize a strike and secure an exceptional collective bargaining agreement—with severance packages of up to 275,000 euros.
Thousands of steelworkers demonstrated in Berlin for their future. In the capital, our colleagues told us what they demand from policymakers: lower electricity prices, closing loopholes in trade protection, and a smarter use of taxpayer money.
More money, fair job classification, better health protection—sounds good, right? This time, the focus is on the Framework Collective Bargaining Agreement on Wages (ERA), which governs how work is evaluated. We’ll discuss why many workers are misclassified and why it’s worth taking a closer look at your own job description.
Resistance Instead of Giving Up: Yves Weinberger reports on how the works council and employees at Brose Würzburg were able to prevent the closure. Sophia Kielhorn provides insights into how the works council is helping shape the future at Airbus Hamburg and explains what employees need to know about the works council election.
Energy-intensive businesses are suffering from high electricity prices. IG Metall has long been calling for an industrial electricity price of 5 cents. Now there is a draft proposal from the Federal Minister of Economics. We explain why this will not provide the necessary relief and how IG Metall is responding to it.
China is flooding the global market with subsidized cheap products, the U.S. is protecting itself with tariffs—and Europe is just standing by? That cannot be allowed to happen. We explain why we need local content rules—or European content rules.
IG Metall has been fighting for years for better conditions in the temporary staffing sector—through collective bargaining agreements, industry-specific surcharges, and equal pay. Christoph and Jacqueline speak with Torsten Rhau, a works council member at a staffing agency, who reports on the reality and opportunities within these companies.
Companies are currently scaling back equality measures on a massive scale. The result: discrimination is on the rise. Christoph and Jacqueline speak with a works council member who is fighting back against the rollback of equality measures at her workplace and explain what IG Metall is doing.
Rent prices have skyrocketed, and apprentices are being hit particularly hard. That’s why union members are stepping up to establish “AzubiWerke”—affordable housing for apprentices. Magdalena, a dual-track student, describes what life is like at an AzubiWerk and the role of worker participation there.