Hanover – At the start of the CeBIT computer trade show, IG Metall, the union representing the ICT sector, is calling on companies to ensure that modern IT solutions are used in a way that respects human dignity. “Mobile internet, cloud strategies, and crowd working must not become drivers of precarious employment and the blurring of boundaries in the workplace,” said Christiane Benner, executive board member of the union.
“The sharing economy offers companies great opportunities that must be seized, but people must not become its pawns,” said Benner. “Unfortunately, we are seeing exactly that more and more often, and employees are coming under increasing pressure to perform and face growing wage pressures. That is why we need protective guidelines for the digital workplace. New possibilities require new rules, for example in the form of comprehensive health management within companies and effective anti-stress regulations.”
IG Metall assesses working conditions in large parts of the industry as critical. Staff cuts, wage pressure, and high workloads are the order of the day, fueled by developments such as mobile internet, cloud strategies, and crowd working.
“The ICT sector plays a special role in our economy and society,” said Benner. “Through technical innovations, it creates opportunities to reorganize work. That is why we must take a very close look at what is happening there. Our guiding principle is: people must be at the center. Unions play a decisive role in this, including in the ICT sector.”
This also becomes clear when looking at salary trends in the ICT sector. While wages in companies not bound by collective bargaining agreements rose by only 1.4 percent—resulting in a loss of real wages for employees—collective bargaining agreements secured a 2.8 percent salary increase. This is the finding of the latest wage analysis for the ICT sector, which IG Metall presented today. The study is the most comprehensive of its kind in Germany and is being published for the 15th time. Overall, the average pay increase was a meager two percent, which barely offsets inflation. Although the IT and telecommunications industry in Germany has performed well, salaries are lagging behind.
According to the study, there is good news from the ICT apprenticeship market. While the total number of apprenticeship positions declined in 2012, the ICT sector saw an increase of 1.5 percent. Apprenticeship wages also rose sharply, with an average increase of 3.4 percent. This is primarily due to the increase in collectively bargained apprenticeship wages. IG Metall achieved another success last year: Trainees are generally hired on a permanent basis after completing their training. “This is a concrete contribution to securing a skilled workforce in the ICT sector,” Benner emphasized.
