Press Release No. 01/2011 IG Metall Calls for Agreement on Equal Pay for Temporary Workers in the Mediation Committee

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has called on the Federal Minister of Labor to reach an agreement in the Mediation Committee on the Hartz IV reform, including equal pay for temporary agency workers and a nationwide minimum wage. “The Mediation Committee must now be used to find a comprehensive solution. Equal pay for temporary agency workers and minimum wages will help significantly reduce the number of people whose benefits are topped up. Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen must make concessions on this issue and pave the way for a solution,” demanded Detlef Wetzel, Second Chairman of IG Metall.

Wetzel emphasized that the Mediation Committee has the power not only to regulate Unemployment Benefit II in accordance with the guidelines of the Federal Constitutional Court but also to curb the abuse of temporary agency work. He noted that a significant proportion of temporary agency workers rely on supplementary Unemployment Benefit II due to low wages.