Mannheim – IG Metall has called for greater employee participation and co-determination as a guarantee of economic success. “We are witnessing a profound transformation of industry and the world of work. Germany will only remain successful if the individual participation of employees and collective codetermination are further expanded,” said Detlef Wetzel, President of IG Metall, at the IG Metall Congress on Codetermination and Participation on Wednesday in Mannheim.
“We must continue on the path we have already taken to successfully combine the strengths of institutionalized co-determination with new forms of participation,” Wetzel emphasized. He noted that expanded legal regulations on co-determination are necessary, which must be adapted to the changing conditions in companies and workplaces. “Above all, we must counteract the growing division among workforces. Works councils need co-determination rights, for example, regarding restructuring plans, job security, subcontracting and outsourcing, as well as gender equality issues,” Wetzel demanded.
In the age of digitalized Industry 4.0, economic strength depends more than ever on the creativity, experience, and innovative capacity of employees. “Anyone who expects full commitment from Germany’s predominantly well-educated workforce must, conversely, involve them in key decisions. Those who fail to do so drive people toward inner resignation and are responsible for poor work performance,” said Wetzel. The German economy simply cannot afford this, he added.
Jörg Hofmann, Second Chairman of IG Metall, called for greater co-determination for supervisory boards. “Employee representatives on supervisory boards need co-determination on an equal footing; that is why we are calling for a minimum set of criteria for qualified majority decisions there.” Furthermore, he said, it is long overdue to grant full co-determination rights to small and medium-sized enterprises as well. “The degree of democracy must not depend on the size of a company,” said Hofmann. Furthermore, he added, the commitment to participation and co-determination in a globalized economy must not be limited to Germany alone. “There are companies that sing the praises of co-determination in Germany. In other countries, however, they act like the proverbial bull in a china shop on this issue. This meets with strong opposition from IG Metall,” the union leader criticized. Co-determination must not be circumvented by relocating a company abroad. Strengthening European co-determination rights is therefore urgently needed, Hofmann demanded.
IG Metall Chairman Detlef Wetzel announced that he would continue to drive a cultural shift toward greater participation within his own organization as well: “We will involve employees even more than before in our decisions,” said Wetzel. IG Metall has already taken important steps through large-scale employee surveys, “Better Instead of Cheaper” projects, and as part of its company-specific collective bargaining policy. The increasing diversity of the workforce requires IG Metall and its activists in the workplaces to adopt new forms of participation. The “one-size-fits-all employee” no longer exists. Workers have different ideas about how they want to work and live. The focus is on the needs of each individual, said Wetzel. It is therefore crucial to support employees in exercising their rights themselves.
More information on the Co-determination and Participation Congress
