Cindy Fasanya is a “Product Owner” at the VW software brand CARIAD in Berlin—and also serves as the IG Metall union representative there. Together, they successfully negotiated their first collective bargaining agreement in January through warning strikes .
After completing her studies (International and Technology-Oriented Management) and her master’s internship at Volkswagen, the now 29-year-old joined the then-newly founded VW software subsidiary CARIAD in 2020. Within a few months, she had already joined IG Metall and ran for shop steward.
Taking Action to Make Things Better
“The human aspect is important to me. I already did volunteer work while I was in college, working with refugees and people with disabilities,” Cindy explains. “I also found it exciting to be able to influence working conditions and help shape them. Anyone can get upset. If you want things to get better, you should also do something about it yourself.”
Shop Steward Cindy Fasanya
First and foremost, Cindy wanted to become a union representative to get involved in social causes. And since the company didn’t offer her the right opportunities to volunteer, she decided to join the union.
“At first, I did wonder why I should have to pay dues just to volunteer,” says Cindy. “But then I understood the concept: I’m not paying for the work I do, but for the support I receive from IG Metall in the process. It’s only through the great collaboration between IG Metall’s full-time staff and us volunteers at CARIAD that we can work together with our members to secure collective bargaining agreements .”
Cindy was elected to the bargaining committee , where she helped shape IG Metall’s bargaining demands and plans related to the collective bargaining process. She also held numerous discussions with colleagues, both at the workplace and online. On Tuesdays, as part of “Tarif Tuesday,” the IG Metall bargaining committee used video conferencing to update IG Metall members at CARIAD on the status of the collective bargaining campaign and the negotiations—and addressed their questions and concerns.
“We’ve noticed that we have employees who are very open to discussion and critical thinkers, who work through and calculate everything themselves,” says Cindy. “That makes me happy, and it makes us strong. However, I’d like to see even more people join IG Metall. That would give us more input, support, and diversity in shaping our views, which would then have a positive impact on our regular union work and the next collective bargaining campaign.”
More Attractive Thanks to a Collective Bargaining Agreement—Even Internationally
In the end, 1,200 employees at CARIAD heeded IG Metall’s call for a warning strike. And they secured their first collective bargaining agreement: phased wage increases of more than 8.5 percent, an inflation adjustment bonus of 3,000 euros net, an additional special payment of 750 euros, and a commitment to negotiate a profit-sharing plan.
“At first, many thought we’d automatically get pay raises similar to those in the rest of the VW Group and could just go with the flow,” Cindy recalls. “But little by little, everyone realized: We have to show our negotiating partner that we’re strong. We have to fight.”
But why fight? Why was that even necessary at CARIAD, especially since IT specialists are supposedly in desperate demand?
“Yes, we brought up that argument time and again during the collective bargaining negotiations,” says Cindy. “By working together with the union, the company can create better working conditions. With the collective bargaining agreement, we can also set ourselves apart in the international competition for skilled workers. Especially in the software industry, adherence to collective bargaining agreements is sometimes viewed critically. But studies show that IT companies bound by collective bargaining agreements pay higher salaries on average—with less work. And I find it truly incredible that, through the union, I have the opportunity as an ordinary employee to help negotiate such a collective bargaining agreement.”
You, too, can run for office as an IG Metall shop steward—for example, in the 2024 shop steward elections.
Background on the collective bargaining movement at CARIAD: tarifbewegung-cariad.de
