Frankfurt am Main – The transformation toward a climate-neutral, digital industry is also in full swing for the textile sector and will bring about lasting changes to the world of work. IG Metall and the Gesamtverband textil+mode discussed what these changes will look like and what impact they will have at a joint Future Conference.
Miriam Bürger, union secretary at IG Metall and responsible for the textile sector, was very pleased with the constructive debates: “I’m glad that, as social partners, we’re pulling in the same direction on many issues and preparing together for the challenges of the future. For us as a union, it is of crucial importance that employees have a clear picture of how they will work in the future. Collective bargaining agreements and good, future-proof compensation are essential prerequisites for this, as is continuous and sustainable training.”
For Markus Simon, Managing Director of VERSEIDAG-INDUTEX GmbH and the employers’ chief negotiator, the industry is well-positioned for change. The conference featured forward-looking examples from textile research, such as the T7 project in Mönchengladbach for a sustainable textile factory of the future and the Texoversum in Reutlingen. According to Simon, these examples demonstrate that the industry is preparing for the challenges ahead in a responsible manner. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the economic consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine pose enormous challenges for the entire small and medium-sized industrial sector. Markus Simon: “Our companies are already facing fundamental changes in the economy today. In an environment like this—with unprecedented simultaneous price increases for energy, raw materials, and transportation, and an ever-growing number of regulatory requirements—many companies’ very survival is at stake. That is why we now need the right political framework conditions quickly to drive the transformation toward a climate-neutral economy even faster within companies. This also includes stronger support for companies in addressing the labor and skilled worker shortages that are already being felt today. At the same time, collective bargaining policy—which shapes the reality in many companies in the industry—plays a significant role in the transformation process. The discussions have shown that tailored solutions for the industry can only be developed by the collective bargaining partners.”
Conference participants viewed the event as a strong signal demonstrating that the social partners want to shape the transition together. This also presents a major opportunity to further prepare the industry for the coming years.
