Press Release No. 35/2015 IG Metall opposes the European Commission’s efforts to weaken labor unions

Berlin – IG Metall has spoken out against moves by the European Commission that would weaken labor unions. These attacks include the Commission’s recommendation to create opt-out clauses for collective bargaining agreements, as well as the erosion of workers’ rights under the pretext of reducing bureaucracy and promoting free trade. “Weakening the unions opens the door to poor working conditions,” said Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall, at IG Metall’s “European Policy Day 2015” on Thursday in Berlin before guests from the German federal government, the Bundestag, and the European Commission, including Ignacio Garcia Bercero, the EU’s chief negotiator for the TTIP free trade agreement.

As an example of the instruments viewed in Brussels as supposed remedies for the euro crisis, IG Metall cites the current “country-specific recommendations”: For France, the European Commission recommends creating more options to opt out of collective bargaining agreements. “That is a declaration of war—against our friends in France, and against us as well,” said Lemb.

Furthermore, the Commission has announced plans to reduce bureaucracy under the banner of “better regulation.” A so-called “fitness check” is intended to assess whether existing European occupational safety and health regulations impose excessive costs from the perspective of smaller companies. “Behind this seemingly respectable program to reduce bureaucracy lies a large-scale deregulation offensive aimed at eroding minimum standards in labor law and social policy,” said Lemb.

IG Metall also criticizes the EU’s planned TTIP free trade agreement with the U.S. Under TTIP, foreign investors would be granted the right to sue over government decisions that impair the profitability of their investments. “The planned investment protection would undermine the democratic rule of law, as it would allow companies to circumvent national laws and courts through private arbitration tribunals,” warned Lemb.