Press Release No. 37/2016 IG Metall: Increasing collective bargaining coverage and reducing precarious employment are the key...

Berlin – IG Metall continues to view the harmonization of wages and working hours in the new federal states as an important goal. “A good quarter of a century after reunification, living and working conditions between East and West still have not been fully harmonized,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Tuesday in Berlin before 150 works council members from East German companies. The consequences of companies opting out of collective bargaining agreements and the high proportion of precarious employment are the causes of the income disparities that still exist between East and West. “That is why our central task is to increase adherence to collective bargaining agreements and strengthen worker participation in company decision-making,” said Hofmann.

In recent months, IG Metall has secured collective bargaining agreements for the first time in over 60 companies. “That already means nearly 13,000 more employees who no longer have to beg their bosses but can rely on the rights guaranteed by collective bargaining agreements,” said Hofmann. This development shows that self-confident and well-organized workforces are the key to greater influence.

The IG Metall chairman also called for a new culture of working hours. In addition to harmonizing working hours between East and West, people need more opportunities to structure their work schedules according to their own needs. “Today, the goal is to counter a system that only considers the needs of the company with working-hour models that take people’s needs more into account,” said Hofmann. “Constantly increasing pressure to perform and excessive working hours threaten people’s health. And they stand in the way of a better work-life balance.”

Furthermore, Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall, pointed out that strengthening democratic culture is one of the major challenges. “The latest election results in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania show that 21 percent of union members who voted cast their ballots for the AfD. This must therefore serve as a warning and a call to action not only for politicians but for all of us to maintain social cohesion in our society and—where necessary—to rebuild it.”

It is important to have this discussion with all employees in the workplace. “There, we must clearly counter right-wing populist and xenophobic statements and opinions while at the same time seeking dialogue,” said Lemb.