Press Release No. 44/2011 Berthold Huber: IG Metall is well-positioned

Karlsruhe – “We’re on the right track,” said Berthold Huber, President of IG Metall, summarizing the union’s restructuring. “We have pooled our resources to strengthen our organization. Lean and efficient at the top, broad and strong at the grassroots level, and close to the workplace—that has been and remains our guiding principle,” he said before the 481 delegates at the 22nd Regular Union Convention in Karlsruhe. IG Metall is growing again and is well-positioned. “We’re already seeing a significant increase in membership. And I dare to predict that it will be even greater by the end of the year.” He cited the union’s clear focus on its members’ interests as the foundation of this success.

In September, IG Metall had approximately 5,600 more members than in the previous year. “This is our first real increase in membership in many years,” Huber emphasized. At the same time, he pointed to the highest membership dues revenue in IG Metall’s history and a balanced budget. Huber: “We’ve achieved what no one thought we could. We can be proud of that.”

At the same time, the union leader criticized the federal government’s current crisis management: “This is unsettling people.” Financial market capitalism had already proven its failure back in 2008, he noted, yet the financial markets are still not sufficiently regulated. “That’s negligent. Chain reactions can quickly arise that lead to another major disaster,” Huber fears. He therefore called on the financial markets to return to fulfilling their necessary functions for the real economy. “This reckless gambling must finally come to an end.”

During the last crisis, IG Metall focused on preventing layoffs. “In the workplaces, people fought for every job. That determination was crucial,” said Huber. IG Metall was the source of the proposals for the environmental bonus and the extension of short-time work. The union also advocated for economic stimulus programs and public loans. Backed by tailored agreements to safeguard employment, the union succeeded in securing several hundred thousand jobs. “That was our shared success. Our system of co-determination proved its worth during this time. That is why everything points to more democracy in the economy—not less.”

Huber sharply criticized the increasing “harshness of the labor market.” He called for “curbing precarious employment and the low-wage sector.” In this context, he accused the federal government of adopting a obstructive stance. He said the government says “no” to equal pay for temporary workers, to statutory minimum wages, and to curbing the low-wage sector. “In doing so, it is destroying social cohesion. That is why we must stop these naysayers,” said Huber.