Frankfurt am Main – In light of economic change and upheavals, IG Metall is calling on companies and policymakers to make a “new commitment to social security.” At the IG Metall union convention in Frankfurt, delegates adopted a comprehensive catalog of measures to this end. Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil told the more than 400 IG Metall delegates: “Especially in times of rapid change, we must preserve the value and dignity of work.”
Opportunities for Everyone During Transformation
IG Metall is calling for security and prospects to be offered to people, especially during times of crisis and transformation. “Everyone must be given the same opportunities for development,” states the key resolution adopted on Wednesday. This also includes granting works councils the right to take the initiative in shaping workforce development within companies at an early stage and in an active manner. Employers must finally fulfill their responsibility for employee continuing education by providing reliable training plans for all employees. All employees need the right to continuing education for career reorientation, which could be guaranteed through a two-year educational leave period.
Opportunities for All with a Genuine Training Guarantee
Only slightly more than one in five companies currently provides apprenticeships. IG Metall aims to counter this with a genuine, pay-as-you-go training guarantee and to put post-training hiring on the agenda through collective bargaining in all industries. The 2.6 million young people without vocational qualifications need systematic transition support.
In addition to calling for the prevention, limitation, and regulation through collective bargaining of temporary agency work, the delegates advocated for a right to co-determination to prevent the abuse of service contracts in subcontracting and outsourcing. Furthermore, the platform economy must not be allowed to create a deregulated labor market that undermines collective bargaining and social standards.
The Welfare State Called Upon to Shape the Transformation
Particularly in light of the recent crises and times of upheaval, IG Metall calls for the strengthening of a functioning welfare state “as a crisis manager and lifeline capable of preventing social division and losses of prosperity.” To this end, the IG Metall convention adopted a “welfare state initiative”: among other things, calling for an extension of Unemployment Benefit 1, a basic income as a solidarity-based safety net, and the restructuring of the old-age pension system. This system must be restructured into a solidarity-based insurance scheme for the working population, featuring flexible transitions to retirement and a genuine pension at age 63 after 45 years of insurance contributions. The burdens must be distributed fairly.
Labor Minister Heil Calls for Greater Collective Bargaining Coverage
Hubertus Heil, Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, told the delegates: “Workplace co-determination offers opportunities and protection as the economy transforms. That is why we need strong unions and greater collective bargaining coverage. The goal is to ensure that work pays off. To that end, we have raised the minimum wage to 12 euros and lowered social security contributions and taxes for low-wage earners. We have significantly expanded child and housing benefits for working people. Work makes a difference.”
