Press Release No. 03/2011 IG Metall: Coalition Must Give Up Its Opposition to Equal Pay for Temporary Workers

Frankfurt am Main – In the dispute over the Hartz IV reforms, IG Metall has called on the coalition parties to finally abandon their opposition to equal pay for temporary agency workers. “Equal pay from day one is the only correct solution; it creates fair conditions, prevents the revolving-door effect, and provides clarity for all parties involved,” said Detlef Wetzel, second chairman of IG Metall, on Tuesday in Frankfurt. Wetzel once again called on the CDU/CSU and FDP to clear the way for a solution in the mediation committee.

Equal pay for temporary agency workers would help significantly limit the number of people receiving supplementary benefits and thus reduce the 11 billion in extra costs. The Mediation Committee has the power not only to set the Hartz IV benefit rates in accordance with the guidelines of the Federal Constitutional Court but also to curb the abuse of temporary agency work. Wetzel emphasized that a significant proportion of temporary agency workers are dependent on supplementary unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld II) due to low wages.