PRESS STATEMENT IG Metall Welcomes Agreement on Electricity Package—Industrial Electricity Prices Must Follow

The Federal Cabinet today approved a reduction in the electricity tax and grid fees. Jürgen Kerner, Second Chairman of IG Metall, commented: “The reduction in the electricity tax and the government’s assumption of grid fees were long overdue. It’s good that the federal government has set both in motion today. These measures send an important signal about easing the burden on industry and consumers. It’s coming late, but hopefully not too late.

However, especially for energy-intensive industries, this can only be a very first step. The next step must now follow quickly: an internationally competitive industrial electricity price, as announced in the coalition agreement. Without this relief for energy-intensive industries, thousands of jobs in the steel industry and other sectors are at risk of being lost forever, without new jobs being created in emerging sectors such as battery manufacturing in Germany.

IG Metall calls on the federal government to immediately present a concrete model for an industrial electricity price that provides planning certainty for companies and employees, sustainably strengthens Germany’s competitiveness as an industrial location, and secures important industrial jobs for the future. Such an industrial electricity price must be implemented by January 1, 2026, at the latest."

Further information and press photos of Jürgen Kerner