Press Release No. 51/2016 IG Metall: Agile Work Requires Co-determination 4.0

Renningen – IG Metall has called for “Co-determination 4.0” to ensure good working conditions in the digitalized workplace. “Even in the age of digitalization, co-determination is not an afterthought or an optional extra, but rather the central prerequisite for its successful implementation,” said Christiane Benner, Second Chair of IG Metall, at the 8th Engineering and IT Conference organized by the Hans Böckler Foundation and IG Metall in Renningen. The necessary framework conditions and company agreements—for example, regarding agile methods or remote work—can only be developed in collaboration with employees. Co-determination 4.0 must not only keep pace with changing operational requirements but also keep step with people and their expectations. “IG Metall holds the ‘copyright’ on agile work. Only if works councils and employees are involved in shaping the process from the very beginning is there a chance for a humane and fair digital working world in which people’s needs take center stage,” Benner said before an audience of more than 300 engineering and IT experts.

Digitalization poses major challenges for society, the economy, and the world of work. It is transforming business models, development processes, value chains, hierarchical structures, skill profiles, as well as market and power structures. “Agile work and networked collaboration are not a given; they require a commitment to comprehensive cultural change,” said Benner. The vice chair of IG Metall therefore called on employers to “work together to develop a vision for successful digitalization, so that innovation and security become two sides of the same coin.” Digitalization can only become a success story if we succeed in ensuring security amid this transformation.

Note to editors:
The 8th Engineering and IT Conference, “Agile, Mobile, Innovative—Where Is the Room for Good Work?”, will take place November 21–23 at the Robert Bosch GmbH research campus in Renningen.