Become a member
  1. Press
  2. Press Releases
Automatic translation
This article has been translated automatically using computer technology. While we strive for accuracy, some wording or details may differ from those in the original article.
This translation was not manually reviewed. For important facts, quotations or legally sensitive information, please consult the German original. Individual selections, images, embedded media or technical terms may have been translated differently or incompletely.

Press Release No. 02/2016 IG Metall Advances Cooperation with Hungarian Metalworkers’ Union VASAS

IG-Metall-Fahnen
Foto: IG Metall

14 January 2016 14 January 2016

Frankfurt am Main/Győr – IG Metall is strengthening its cooperation with the Hungarian metalworkers’ union VASAS. “Our long-standing cooperation is entering a new phase,” said Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall, on Thursday at the opening of the joint training and consulting center “Transnational Partnership Initiative for Training and Consulting Győr” (TPI Győr) in the western Hungarian industrial city of Győr. The goal of the closer cooperation with VASAS is to jointly improve working conditions for employees in Hungary—particularly at the sites of German automakers Audi, Mercedes, and Opel, as well as their suppliers. The aim is to advise VASAS on how the Hungarian metalworkers’ union can strengthen and expand employees’ participation rights in the workplace through works councils or comparable institutions.


“In Hungary, labor law is weak from the employees’ perspective. It appears that Hungary is being used by employers as a testing ground for new job evaluation systems and working time models,” said Lemb. IG Metall aims to support VASAS in ensuring that good working conditions, fair wages, and genuine employee participation are implemented across the board in Hungary as well.

“I am very confident that we can successfully establish greater worker participation in companies across Hungary,” said Bela Balogh, chairman of VASAS. “We have high hopes that our joint education and consulting initiative will bring us closer to our goals quickly.”

German companies have steadily expanded production in Hungary in recent years. Last year, German manufacturers and their suppliers in Hungary—employing around 50,000 people—produced more than 300,000 cars, among other things. IG Metall has no objection to German companies doing business in Hungary. However, Lemb insisted that this must be done under fair conditions for the employees.


New on igmetall.de
Eine Frau mit Ratsche in der Menschenmenge bei einem Warnstreik in der Tarifrunde Metall und Elektro bei Osram und Siemens am 03.11.2026 in Berlin
Foto: Christian von Polentz

2026 Metal and Electrical Industry Wage Negotiations Over 400,000 on warning strike – IG Metall proposes a solution

Warning strikes in the metal and electrical industries are underway, with more than 400,000 workers already participating. IG Metall is ramping up pressure on employers, who are offering only a 1.3 percent pay increase starting in July 2028. IG Metall has now presented a proposed solution that secures the future and protects jobs.

Eine junge Person hält die Hand einer alten Person
Foto: FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

Long-Term Care Reform Making long-term care affordable: But fair!

The long-term care insurance system is running out of money. The federal government wants to plug the gaps with an austerity bill. But that would mean new hardships for millions of people in need of care and their families. Yet there is a socially responsible alternative to mere benefit cuts.

Beschäfftiger leidet unter Stress
GettyImages

DGB Good Work Index Many workers are exposed to high levels of physical strain

Physical strain is a defining feature of the work of many industrial workers. This is shown by a new analysis. The figures also show that employees exposed to multiple sources of work-related strain are more likely to work even when they are sick. There is an urgent need for more preventive measures in the workplace.

Subscribe to the newsletter