PRESS RELEASE NO. 03/2019 “Employees in the machinery and plant engineering sector must be involved”

Berlin — Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier met today with leading representatives from industry, labor unions, and associations in the machinery and plant engineering sector to continue the industry dialogue that has been ongoing since 2014. The goal of the dialogue is to discuss key challenges for the future of the machinery and plant engineering sector in Germany and to explore possible courses of action to support the industry.

The discussion focused on the topics of skilled labor needs, digitalization, decarbonization, and the framework conditions for a fair trade policy. Following the meeting, Federal Minister Peter Altmaier, Carl Martin Welcker, President of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), and Wolfgang Lemb, Executive Board Member of IG Metall, signed a joint declaration.

As part of the joint event with the BMWi and the VDMA, IG Metall formulated requirements for the future of the machinery and plant engineering sector from the employees’ perspective. “The machinery and plant engineering sector, in particular, will continue to rely on the expertise and innovative strength of its employees to meet future challenges,” said Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall responsible for the machinery and plant engineering sector, on Tuesday in Berlin. “Without strong employee participation, the challenges of digitalization and the consequences of the energy transition in the machinery sector will be impossible to overcome. Strengthening the core principles of social partnership—such as co-determination and collective bargaining agreements—is therefore essential.”

This necessity is particularly evident when it comes to addressing demographic change and the associated demand for skilled workers: “Recruiting new skilled workers and providing on-the-job training for existing ones are essential foundations for organizing knowledge transfer in the mechanical and plant engineering sector. Good working conditions—that is, age-appropriate jobs, secure and well-paid jobs—are the foundation that enables skilled workers to continue working into old age while also inspiring young people to pursue training in mechanical and plant engineering,” said Lemb. In their joint statement, the BMWi, VDMA, and IG Metall emphasized the need to develop strategies for addressing demographic change and the demand for skilled workers in the mechanical and plant engineering sector.