Press Release No. 03/2012 IG Metall: Membership up for the first time in over twenty years – Berthold Huber: “We ...

Frankfurt am Main – At the end of 2011, IG Metall recorded an increase in membership for the first time in about twenty years. “We’ve managed to reverse the trend in membership,” said Berthold Huber, President of IG Metall, on Friday in Frankfurt. At the end of 2011, the number of members stood at 2,245,760. This represents an increase of 6,172 compared to the previous year.

Huber called for effective regulation of the financial markets to stabilize economic development in Europe. “A significant portion of the uncertainty for 2012 stems from the risks posed by the euro and debt crises,” criticized the First Chairman of IG Metall. The problems in Europe can only be solved through joint economic governance by the European Union. It needs effective policy tools and the support of its citizens. In this context, Huber called for the introduction of financial market levies. “Corrections are needed not only on the expenditure side but also on the revenue side of EU countries. A financial transaction tax and a bank levy alone could generate around 50 billion euros in additional revenue for the EU,” Huber said. He also emphasized the need for a program for Europe’s future focused on education and ecological modernization. “This can only succeed if the fiscal union is expanded into a solidarity union,” Huber said.

The union leader criticized the ongoing precariousness of work in Germany. The low-wage sector, he said, is holding back overall economic momentum and is the cause of the generally weak wage growth in Germany. “This gives IG Metall the mandate to continue advocating for a fair labor market,” said Huber. This includes ensuring that temporary agency workers are employed under fair conditions and are not exploited, and that increased regulation of temporary agency work does not pave the way for the abuse of service contracts.

Detlef Wetzel, Second Chair of IG Metall, emphasized that only a stable—and ideally even growing—IG Metall can be effective in collective bargaining and socio-political disputes. “We are the only major political organization that has managed to reverse the trend in membership growth. There is no law of nature stating that large organizations in modern societies are bound to shrink,” said Wetzel. Year-over-year, IG Metall gained approximately 114,000 new members. That is about 26 percent more than in the previous year. About 42 percent of the new members are under 27 years of age.

IG Metall’s financial performance is also positive. Membership dues revenue totaled 459 million euros in 2011. “That is a record result in the history of IG Metall,” Wetzel emphasized. This represents a further increase of 17 million euros over the already strong level achieved the previous year.

Wetzel announced that IG Metall intends to sustain this positive trend in membership and finances. To this end, approximately 20 million euros will be allocated annually to membership recruitment projects. “The money goes where members are recruited and supported—locally, in our administrative offices,” said Wetzel. The goal is to invest in strategic areas for the future so that IG Metall remains a strong organization. For example, IG Metall intends to intensify its organizing activities in the solar and wind industries and its union work with students at universities. “Universities are the largest training ground for the industries we represent,” said Wetzel.