Press Release Hans-Jürgen Urban: Businesses and policymakers bear responsibility for the ecological transition

Bamberg – Germany faces the challenge of shaping the digital and ecological transformation of industry in a way that ensures no one is left behind. Hans-Jürgen Urban, executive board member of IG Metall, believes policymakers also bear responsibility here: “Setting limits and then looking the other way—that won’t work. Politicians must provide new mobility concepts and the infrastructure needed for the ecological transportation transition. Companies, too, must do more to prevent layoffs, provide retraining, and develop new value chains,” Urban demanded in his May 1 speech in Bamberg.

The union leader called for the large-scale #FairWandel demonstration on June 29 in Berlin. There, IG Metall aims to urge the government and companies to take action for a social, ecological, and democratic transformation of industry.

“To overcome the divisions in Europe, we must finally take the Social Union seriously. This includes minimum social standards, fair wages, and investments in social infrastructure.” In Urban’s view, this is also a remedy against nationalism, right-wing populism, and those who despise democracy. Urban calls on policymakers to finally curb tax evasion and tax large corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook appropriately. “When corporations in Germany generate high profits but pay less in taxes than small businesses, that’s simply unacceptable.”

In Germany, labor market reforms—including the liberalization of temporary agency work and service contracts—have not promoted employment but have instead divided the labor market, the union leader criticized. “Work was once a source of prosperity for many; today, for more and more people, it is a source of poverty. Young people cannot build a life for themselves if they are stuck in precarious employment situations. Anyone who cannot demonstrate steady employment won’t even get a loan from the savings bank. Low wages, temporary work, and service contracts are not hallmarks of a modern economy, but a scandal for the welfare state.”

Speech by Hans-Jürgen Urban on May 1

Further information

Unions are demonstrating on May 1 for a social Europe and a fair transition