Press Release IG Metall Calls on Companies to Break Down Employment Barriers for People with Disabilities

Frankfurt am Main – The IG Metall union is calling for higher fines for companies that fail to meet the legal quota for employing people with severe disabilities. Hans-Jürgen Urban, executive board member, said: “Inclusion must not end at the factory gate. Anyone who creates barriers for people with disabilities is doing themselves and society a disservice in times of a skilled labor shortage and transformation. People with disabilities are not a cost factor, but an opportunity.”

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, the union criticizes the fact that one in four companies required to hire people with disabilities does not employ any at all. They prefer to pay the legally mandated monthly compensation levy for each unfilled mandatory position. Urban: “Barriers in the workplace must come down. No one should be able to afford to exclude people with disabilities anymore.”

IG Metall is therefore calling for new penalties: Companies with zero employment of people with severe disabilities should in the future pay 750 euros per month per position. Currently, the maximum compensation levy is 360 euros for an annual average employment rate of less than 2 percent.

Especially in light of the economic upheavals, IG Metall is calling on companies to embrace greater inclusion. “The behavior of companies that refuse to embrace inclusion is a testament to their lack of humanity and comes at a high cost to everyone,” said Urban. By not hiring people with severe disabilities, companies are also foregoing well-qualified personnel. Urban: “Unemployed people with severe disabilities are often better qualified than others. Nevertheless, they often remain stuck in unemployment for much longer or are assigned to simpler jobs in companies.” Most cases of severe disability do not occur until later in life.

According to IG Metall, a key factor for effective inclusion in the workplace and work processes is co-determination through representatives for people with severe disabilities (SBV). According to the “DGB Good Work Index,” employees in companies with SBV benefit from better working hours, pay, health promotion, continuing education, and stronger ties to the company.