Frankfurt am Main — IG Metall is seeing an increase in membership. In 2018, 133,165 women and men joined IG Metall — nearly 25 percent more than the previous year. As of the end of 2018, 2,270,595 people belonged to IG Metall — just under 8,000 more than the previous year. “This very positive membership trend shows that there is no irreversible trend toward the decline of large organizations. On the contrary: Because we are recognized as architects of a better future and acknowledge the diversity of people’s working conditions and life choices, we are attractive,” said Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, on Monday in Frankfurt.
The successful collective bargaining campaign in the metal and electrical industries was a key driver of this positive membership growth: “With the outcome of the collective bargaining agreement, we secured greater autonomy over working hours and thereby tangibly improved the personal circumstances of thousands of people.” This is also reflected in the latest survey results from over 2,600 companies. 260,000 employees who care for children, look after family members, or work shifts have submitted requests to take eight additional days off this year instead of receiving more pay. 93 percent of these requests were approved. “The fact that this collective bargaining provision has been so widely accepted by employees shows what collective bargaining policy can achieve for society,” said Hofmann.
IG Metall is thus entering 2019 in a position of strength, aiming to practically tackle the transformation in its industries and shape it in the interests of employees. By creating a “Transformation Atlas,” IG Metall will gain a detailed overview of the changes and their effects within companies in the coming months. The goal is to identify the key areas of change within companies and lay the groundwork for a coordinated overall strategy involving both management and the union. “The profits from digitalization must be invested in good jobs. We cannot allow our society to be divided into winners and losers of digitalization. To achieve this, we need a right to continuing education for all, a fair distribution of the workload, and self-determined working hours,” said the IG Metall chairman. Hofmann sees major challenges ahead for the German economy in 2019 due to looming trade conflicts, the effects of Brexit, and the shaping of future mobility and energy developments. The automotive industry finds itself in a difficult situation. “The challenge facing the automotive industry is enormous. In the coming years, more than 150,000 jobs could be lost due to the new European climate targets. Up to 40,000 new jobs could be created if all components for electric mobility were manufactured in Germany. That does not appear to be the case. This must serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and companies.”
IG Metall is committed to the mobility and energy transitions. Climate protection and employment must not be pitted against one another, but rather considered together to secure jobs. “We need investments in new value creation, in new jobs through climate-friendly products, and in the necessary infrastructure,” Hofmann demanded.
“IG Metall saw disproportionately strong growth among white-collar workers, women, and young people in 2018,” explained Christiane Benner, Second Chair of IG Metall. By the end of the year, 333,460 white-collar workers in companies had become union members. This represents a 2.5 percent increase over the previous year. The number of engineer members actually grew by 13.7 percent last year. Among members with an immigrant background, IG Metall achieved a two percent increase.
This disproportionately strong upward trend applies equally to women. As of the end of 2018, IG Metall had a total of 410,069 female members. That represents an increase of 3,176 women, or 0.8 percent, compared to the previous year. “We owe this positive development to a collective bargaining policy that is attractive to women as well, dedicated volunteers, and more female leaders within IG Metall,” Benner emphasized.
IG Metall has also adapted to the increasingly diverse paths into the workforce. “Young people find IG Metall attractive. Today, we recruit apprentices, dual-track students, and university students in equal measure,” Benner explained. IG Metall has a total of 129,610 members in these three groups, an increase of 6,366 members compared to last year. In 2018, IG Metall welcomed its 50,000th student member.
A key focus for IG Metall in 2019 is the topic of artificial intelligence. “Our goal is good and secure work. We must shape the digital transformation—including in office professions—together with the employees,” said Benner. “Above all, we need a realistic impact assessment, a broad training initiative, and good company agreements for new forms of work such as agile project work.”
“IG Metall remains in a strong financial position and is capable of taking action at any time,” emphasized Jürgen Kerner, IG Metall’s chief treasurer. In 2018, IG Metall’s membership dues revenue rose for the ninth consecutive year to 585 million euros, an increase of 4.3 percent. 85 million euros were allocated to reserves for member benefits, as well as for strikes and political activities.
“The solidarity of 2.3 million members gives us political strength as well as financial power and independence,” Kerner noted. “Anyone who thinks they can use digitalization against workers and erode their rights will come up against a brick wall with IG Metall. We have staying power—including financially.”
The main reasons for this stable financial foundation are, above all, strong collective bargaining outcomes and the continued expansion of membership outreach. “We have been consistently investing in our regional work for years. Last year, we allocated 214 million euros to our 155 local offices for this purpose,” said Kerner.
“Educational work was, is, and remains our core mission,” the union leader emphasized. In 2018, over 100,000 members took advantage of the union’s educational offerings. Expenditures for educational work at the union’s training centers and IG Metall offices totaled 32 million euros.
To Christiane Benner’s statementTo Jörg Hofmann’s statement PDF (200 KB)To Jürgen Kerner’s statement PDF (168 KB)To the presentation PDF (3,741 KB)Watch the video of the annual press conferencePhoto from the annual press conference (from left to right: Silke Ernst, Jörg Hofmann, Christiane Benner, Jürgen Kerner/Photographer: Frank Rumpenhorst) JPG (20,299 KB)Photo featuring Jörg Hofmann, Christiane Benner, and Jürgen Kerner (Photographer: Frank Rumpenhorst) JPG (6,499 KB)Photo featuring Ernst, Hofmann, Benner, and Kerner JPG (14,313 KB)View photo of Jörg Hofmann, Christiane Benner, Jürgen Kerner (Photographer: Frank Rumpenhorst) JPG (11,537 KB)
