Frankfurt am Main – To ensure that the next generation of young workers in the skilled trades feels well taken care of, many businesses need to rethink their approach. “Young people in the skilled trades are dedicated, qualified, and innovative; they want good working conditions and a say in how their work is organized,” said Ralf Kutzner, executive board member of IG Metall, at the union’s Federal Skilled Trades Conference on Friday in Frankfurt. The conference’s theme is: “We’re shaping the skilled trades of tomorrow.”
Many skilled trades businesses are unable to retain skilled workers. About one-third of journeymen and journeywomen in the metal and electrical trades are leaving for the manufacturing sector, and about 30 percent are moving to other industries. “With good working conditions, collectively bargained wages, and greater worker participation, skilled trades businesses will become attractive to young people,” said Kutzner. The upcoming works council elections are a good opportunity to present oneself as an attractive employer with a works council and to win over young skilled workers with collective bargaining coverage and good working conditions.
The low level of collective bargaining coverage—only 30 percent of employees are covered—is one of the reasons for the lower pay levels in the skilled trades. A full-time employee earns an average of 3,217 euros, which is 1,000 euros less than the average in other sectors. This is the conclusion of a study funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation and conducted by economists Katarzyna Haverkamp and Kaja Fredriksen of the University of Göttingen. In addition to the low level of collective bargaining coverage, the two researchers believe that lower skill levels and the small-business structures in the skilled trades are also partly responsible for this wage gap.
Kutzner said that wage levels could be raised with strong guilds and guild associations that once again enter into collective bargaining agreements. In recent years, many guilds and associations have declared themselves no longer responsible for collective bargaining agreements. IG Metall is calling on the new federal government to amend the Crafts and Trades Code to strengthen the social partnership between unions and guilds once again. “The ball is now in the politicians’ court. It is their job to demonstrate a willingness to take action,” said Kutzner.
According to IG Metall, policymakers also need to address the EU Services Card. “The EU Services Card carries the risk that master craftsman’s certificates and quality standards will fall by the wayside,” Kutzner criticized. “Collective bargaining wages and social standards would be undermined, and bogus self-employment would skyrocket.” According to the EU Commission’s plan, this card is intended to make it easier to provide skilled trades services across borders. It is based on the country-of-origin principle. This means that service providers would then be subject to the regulations of their country of origin, even if they are working in another EU member state. IG Metall is calling on the federal government to advocate against the application of the country-of-origin principle. On March 22, the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee will discuss the Services Card.
At IG Metall’s Federal Skilled Trades Conference, Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel, deputy federal chairman of the SPD; Hans Peter Wollseifer, president of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts; and Ralf Kutzner will discuss the industry’s prospects with works council members, representatives of skilled trades self-governing bodies, and union representatives. Another topic of discussion will be how to attract young people to the skilled trades and to IG Metall.
