Press Release No. 23/2018 IG Metall: Works Councils Ensure Better Working Conditions

Frankfurt am Main – Under the slogan “Works Council Election – For Us,” IG Metall is promoting the elections for works councils, which begin on March 1. Currently, IG Metall represents approximately 78,000 works council members in over 11,000 companies across the industries it serves. Since the last works council election in 2014, the number of works councils has increased by 7.6 percent due to the first-ever elections held in companies that previously had no works council.

Work on a works council is extremely demanding

“Works councils ensure better working conditions and job security. Companies with works councils are more family-friendly, more innovative, and more successful. Apprentices are more satisfied with their training when there is a works council,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Wednesday in Frankfurt. The work of works councils has changed significantly in recent years and places high demands on members.
“New challenges arise in the transition to the digital workplace when it comes to enforcing protective rights. In addition, a wider range of interests must be taken into account in increasingly diverse workforces. More self-directed work and helping to shape the working world of tomorrow are the challenges facing today’s works councils and a key element of modern workplace policy.” Works council members must be communicative and able to handle conflict in order to effectively represent the interests of the workforce, said the IG Metall chairman.

Works council elections will take place from March 1 through May 31, 2018. A works council can be elected in companies with five or more employees. All employees without managerial roles who are at least 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Temporary agency workers are also eligible to vote. Employees who have been working at the company for at least six months are eligible to run for office.