Frankfurt am Main – With its recommended list of demands for the upcoming collective bargaining round in the metal and electrical industries, the IG Metall Executive Board has struck a chord with the workforce. This is evident from initial analyses of the large-scale employee survey, which concluded last Friday.
“The survey results confirm that our recommended demands are on the right track. The opinions of some 250,000 colleagues lend additional weight to our demands,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Monday in Frankfurt. A large majority of respondents support job security, forward-looking collective bargaining agreements, and higher wages. “In the upcoming collective bargaining round, we will therefore prioritize the issues that are being discussed most intensively at the grassroots level—in the workplaces and in the bargaining committees.”
There is broad support for reducing working hours to secure jobs. In this context—for example, in the case of short-time work—financial compensation is also important. Even now, the relatively new proposal for a four-day workweek with partial wage compensation is enjoying high levels of support. About two-thirds of those surveyed see it as an important tool for securing jobs and the future.
There is strong support among respondents for forward-looking collective bargaining agreements that include commitments to investment, products, and business locations, across all employee groups. For 88 percent, such forward-looking collective bargaining agreements are “important” or “very important.” Even greater support is found for the call to secure the future through training, with 92 percent in favor. “The message has now reached a broad cross-section of employees: upskilling is a key tool for securing jobs during the transformation,” said Jörg Hofmann.
There is also strong support among older employees for maintaining apprenticeship positions and offering apprentices permanent employment, even in the current crisis situation.
The results clearly show that a pay increase plays an important role. For an average of 72 percent of respondents, this goal is “very important” or “important”—especially since it not only boosts incomes but also helps finance job security.
This Tuesday, the district bargaining committees will meet to finalize the demands for the 2020/2021 collective bargaining round in the metal and electrical industries. “When the bargaining committees finalize the demands tomorrow, they will do so with momentum from the workplaces,” concluded Jörg Hofmann, referring to the survey results.
The goal of the survey, conducted under the motto “Setting the Course,” was to collect and evaluate representative opinions, attitudes, and assessments on workplace and political issues. All employees within IG Metall’s organizational scope were eligible to participate, regardless of membership status. Approximately 250,000 colleagues participated between September 21 and November 13, 2020.
Further information and press photos by Jörg Hofmann
