Press Release No. 35/2011 IG Metall Calls for Sustainable Labor Market Policy Instead of “Jobs at Any Cost”

Frankfurt am Main – In light of the largely stable development of the labor market, IG Metall is calling for greater commitment to improving the quality of existing jobs. “It’s good that more people are employed. Now the second step must follow: The new jobs must be of high quality and not just serve to pad the statistics,” said Detlef Wetzel, Second Chairman of IG Metall, on Wednesday in Frankfurt. Temporary agency work, fixed-term contracts, and mini-jobs do not meet quality standards. “We need a reliable and sustainable labor market policy, not work at any cost,” Wetzel demanded.

That is why it is necessary for policymakers to act now to turn the positive figures into a real success. “The government must finally create a new, fair order in the labor market: Temporary agency work must be regulated, and universally applicable minimum wages must be introduced,” Wetzel demanded. Otherwise, the number of temporary agency work arrangements will soon exceed one million, and marginal employment will continue to rise. According to the Federal Employment Agency, one in four new jobs created today is already a marginal employment position.

More regulation in the labor market means greater security and equal participation in the economic recovery for all workers. Furthermore, this would have a positive impact on social security systems and immediately and noticeably improve the wages of nearly a quarter of all workers, Wetzel explained. He criticized the oft-cited claim that temporary work serves as a stepping stone into the labor market as a placebo argument. “Only seven percent of temporary agency workers who were previously unemployed are hired by one of the companies where they were assigned. Furthermore, they often do not work in the profession for which they were trained and have little access to continuing education.”