Leipzig – Works council members from the new federal states are calling on the federal government to provide security during times of change—particularly with regard to the transformation in eastern Germany. Politicians must build sustainable bridges to the working world of tomorrow through active structural, industrial, and labor market policies, according to the “Eastern Works Council Conference,” to which IG Metall had invited around 180 employee representatives from the new federal states.
Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, warned against neglecting the long-term planning of the transformation in the face of multiple crises: “People in eastern Germany have already experienced a major transformation of industry, the economy, and society with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Many associate this with economic decline and personal setbacks. That must not happen again. Politicians and employers have a responsibility to ensure that the ecological transformation succeeds. It must not lead to further inequality, but must open up new opportunities for workers in the East.”
Carsten Schneider, Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor and Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, said at the Eastern Germany Works Council Conference in Leipzig: “People in eastern Germany know how change works. They have already proven in the past that they can navigate the transformation of social, economic, and political conditions. These skills are relevant once again: The impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Germany and Europe is accelerating the impending changes associated with the energy transition. The energy transition is also an opportunity, especially for eastern Germany as a region of the future. Many new developments are emerging here, for example as part of the expansion of the hydrogen industry, which the federal government and the eastern German states have recently committed to promoting. Together with all our partners—in politics, business, and, above all, the labor unions—we will shape this transformation, with a particular focus on workers in eastern Germany. I am convinced that we will succeed in this transformation.”
Wolfgang Lemb, Executive Board Member of IG Metall and, in this capacity, responsible among other things for regional structural policy in the new federal states: “The ‘Eastern Reserve’ is over. The younger generation, in particular, is making it clear that they expect good pay for skilled work and the same working hours as in western Germany. This is also evident in workplace disputes over the introduction of the 35-hour workweek. The first cracks have appeared in the ‘working hours barrier.’ The low-wage business model is thus a thing of the past. Eastern Germany has prospects for industrial development, as the current business expansions demonstrate. Here, too, workers will fight for jobs with a say in decision-making. However, politicians also have a role to play: In times of transformation, workers need a greater say and, above all, more co-determination in strategic location decisions.”
Once a year, IG Metall invites works council members from the new federal states to the Eastern Works Council Conference to exchange ideas with practitioners, politicians, and experts. This year, around 180 colleagues spent two days discussing the opportunities and risks of transformation, regional structural policy, and the continued implementation of the 35-hour workweek in the east.
As part of the conference, the works council award “TOGETHER. COMMITTED. COURAGEOUS. – FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE” was also presented. The award recognized the work of the works council at FTE Möve Antriebssysteme. The works council successfully fought off the planned closure of the site and was also able to prevent the layoff of 100 employees. Instead, the employee representatives presented a compelling vision for the future of their own, ensuring that the site’s future is secure for the time being.
