Press Release No. 30/2015 IG Metall: Good Jobs for the Future Require More Investment in Education and Infrastructure – ...

Munich – IG Metall President Detlef Wetzel has called for more investment in companies, education, and infrastructure. He stated that these are fundamental prerequisites for securing Germany’s position as a business hub and creating good jobs. “New technologies will drastically change the world of work; this must not lead to a step backward for workers. Shaping the digital world of work is one of the central challenges. Secure jobs, wages based on collective bargaining agreements, good working conditions, and employee participation will remain top priorities in the future as well,” said Wetzel in his May 1 speech on Friday in Munich.

The introduction of the minimum wage, the strengthening of collective bargaining autonomy, and a full pension after 45 years of contributions are the first steps in the right direction. “But for a sustainable and future-proof market economy, we need much more. Anyone who calls for intergenerational justice must ensure one thing above all else: that younger people get secure and well-paid jobs and are not fobbed off with insecure, precarious jobs.”

Wetzel cited putting an end to the abuse of service contracts as a key prerequisite for this. “When it comes to temporary agency work, our collective bargaining agreements have already taken us a good step forward. Now it is high time to finally prevent the abuse of service contracts.” It is not enough, as the government plans, to merely expand the information rights of works councils. “Works councils need more rights of co-determination so that abuse through the fragmentation and outsourcing of work processes using service contracts can be prevented,” said Wetzel.

To cope with the far-reaching effects of digitalization on society and the world of work, massive investments must also be made in education and training. “Employers have been complaining for years about the looming shortage of skilled workers, yet they are training fewer and fewer people. They are shirking their responsibility,” Wetzel criticized. The number of apprenticeship positions in the metal and electrical industries has fallen by 36 percent since 1996.

At the same time, Wetzel called on the federal government to significantly increase investment by both the state and the private sector. “Without investment, Germany will not remain a successful business location for much longer. Roads, bridges, schools: In many cities and towns, the infrastructure is falling apart!” He noted that companies’ investment rates have fallen while profits have risen. Now, he said, it is time for companies to invest again in their own competitiveness and productivity—and thus in the country’s future.

The IG Metall chairman also called for all workers to be paid fairly and equitably for their work. “Restraint is a thing of the past. Raise wages! And that goes for all workers, not just a small fraction.” That is why he supports the current wage demands of workers in the automotive trade as well as childcare workers. They do outstanding work and deserve significantly better pay.

Wetzel criticized the federal government’s European policy. He said it is characterized above all by one-sided austerity measures rather than growth-oriented investment programs. “Those who bleed the member states dry through their austerity policies and ensure that workers’ and union rights no longer matter should not be surprised that people want nothing to do with Europe.” The social crisis has long since turned into a political crisis. “Yet we know from European history: Europe can solve its problems not by working against one another, but only by working together,” said the IG Metall chairman.