Frankfurt am Main – Trade unions have proven to be a stabilizing force during the pandemic. They are indispensable for society to continue successfully navigating the current crisis. Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, highlighted this on Labor Day, May 1.
“To date, we have managed to weather the greatest crisis of the postwar era without mass unemployment—thanks to the tools of an active welfare state, industry-wide collective bargaining agreements, and a functioning social partnership. This gives us hope for the future, because it shows that we are capable of taking action and can therefore also master challenges such as the transformation of the economy,” said Jörg Hofmann on Thursday in Frankfurt am Main.
As evidence of the effectiveness of union action even under the difficult conditions of a pandemic, Hofmann pointed to IG Metall’s recent collective bargaining successes. “Under the motto ‘Mask – Social Distancing – Industrial Action,’ we have built up pressure in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. The results are stable wages, the start of future collective bargaining agreements that secure prospects for locations and employees, and new tools for the fair distribution of the workload, such as the 4-day workweek. These are answers to the pressing questions of our time.” He continued: “We are currently still in the midst of collective bargaining negotiations in Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony to harmonize working conditions between the east and west. Employers must now send a signal that this division within the country can be overcome. This is a matter of justice and responsibility.”
With regard to the major issues of the future—e-mobility and the energy transition—Hofmann called on policymakers to take more decisive action: “We need more investment in charging infrastructure for electric cars and must significantly expand the power grids. We need more green electricity; the energy transition isn’t progressing fast enough.”
As our industry undergoes restructuring, entire regions will see their industrial character change—for example, those that have until now relied predominantly on components for internal combustion engines. “This requires an active government that supports the transformation by, for example, promoting regional infrastructure, continuing education, skills development, research, and investments in the future,” said Jörg Hofmann.
Ahead of the federal election this fall, IG Metall will engage in the election campaign on behalf of workers, Hofmann announced: “The key questions are: What are the parties planning to do to ensure that society isn’t further divided by this transformation? And who should pay for the costs of the crisis? We will judge the election platforms by these criteria. We will not allow the burden to be placed solely on workers.”
Additional statements from members of the Executive Board for editorial use:
Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall
As a result of the pandemic, inequality in our country and globally has continued to grow. The transformation of our working society through digitalization and decarbonization carries the risk of further exacerbating these imbalances and dividing society into winners and losers. This makes it all the more important to have a countervailing social force in the form of strong unions. The union ideal of solidarity is more relevant than ever. The May 1 slogan, “Solidarity Is the Future,” could not be more apt.
Throughout their history, unions have repeatedly had to contend with fierce resistance and major challenges. We have often emerged stronger from these struggles—for the sake of social progress. Now we are once again in a time of upheaval, in which union ideals—as well as their fighting spirit and ability to assert themselves—are needed more than ever. It’s up to us now. We can do it again—together and in solidarity.
Christiane Benner, Second Chair of IG Metall:
Solidarity means offering workers protection and security. They are working tirelessly to ensure that our society continues to function even during the COVID-19 pandemic: in hospitals and nursing homes, at supermarket checkout counters, on production lines, in workshops, and in offices. To me, they are the heroes and heroines of the COVID-19 crisis. Applause and appreciation are not enough.
They deserve more: more money and a greater say in political and economic decisions. We must set the course for a bright future: digitalization, electric mobility, and green steel are enormous challenges. To tackle them successfully, we need more co-determination for works councils and workers. We need more investment in infrastructure, in education, and in the climate-just transformation of society and the economy. That’s how we shape the future. Solidarity means that—especially after the pandemic—we ensure a more equitable redistribution of wealth in this country.
Jürgen Kerner, Chief Treasurer of IG Metall:
For over a year, workers have kept “the business running” despite all the adversity. The employers’ “thank you” was laced with poison. In the collective bargaining rounds, they wanted to exploit the crisis to drive down wages and dismantle hard-won standards. Not with us!
COVID-19 has massively increased the pressure on the aviation industry. And what is Europe’s largest corporation doing? Airbus is further destabilizing the situation! The corporate leadership wants to break up the subsidiary Premium Aerotec and create competition between locations at the expense of the workers. Not with us! The path to climate-neutral aviation works with the workers—not against them.
The energy sector is undergoing a transformation. Siemens Energy wants to shift the burden of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy onto the workers. Around 3,000 jobs are set to be cut or relocated to low-cost countries. Not on our watch! We want to shape this transition through new business areas and technologies, and by upskilling our workers.
Solidarity is the future! We stand together across companies and industries. We are helping to shape the future of our industries—ecologically, socially, and democratically.
Wolfgang Lemb, Executive Board Member of IG Metall:
Our country’s industry is undergoing a profound transformation. Climate protection, the COVID-19 crisis, turbulence in international markets, and technological change are leading to far-reaching shifts. This transformation must be shaped in a socially, environmentally, and democratically responsible manner, in collaboration with workers.
We call for a major investment push in future technologies and new products, an active industrial policy, accompanying structural policies, and forward-looking labor market and skills development policies.
An active industrial policy requires support mechanisms that secure business locations, employment, and decent work. Structural policy, with the participation of key regional stakeholders, can and must develop regional strategies for the future and industrial prospects for the region.
One example of this is the Saar Transformation Workshop (TWS). Our local offices work closely with the state government, the Chamber of Labor, and continuing education institutions to pool expertise and shape industrial transformation.
Ralf Kutzner, Executive Board Member of IG Metall:
“So far, craft businesses bound by collective bargaining agreements have weathered the pandemic well. This has once again demonstrated how important solidarity is. For me, it is the key to good agreements, such as the top-up to short-time work benefits, particularly in the automotive sector. And when things don’t go quite as planned, IG Metall helps secure employment and incomes through forward-looking collective bargaining agreements, including in the skilled trades. Collective bargaining agreements tailored to the industry, well-organized workforces that share responsibility in a spirit of solidarity—that’s what sets quality craftsmanship apart. This not only helps us weather the crisis well but, above all, ensures a secure future. The fact that we’re so successful in small and medium-sized businesses is enormously important for IG Metall as a whole. Because if we want to preserve the core of industrial work, we must strengthen the periphery. Many colleagues in the workplaces—as works council members or youth representatives, but also as members of the general assemblies of the chambers of crafts—work every day to ensure that this succeeds.”
Irene Schulz, Executive Board Member of IG Metall:
Whether online or in person—May 1, 2021, is our day. Its motto is “Solidarity Is the Future.”
Solidarity is nothing less than the foundation of our union work. Because those who act in solidarity create change. Those who act in solidarity create progress. And that is exactly what we do in workplaces, in regions, and in society.
Solidarity is the foundation of our collective bargaining agreements: We have shown that “masks, social distancing, and labor action” work and lead to sustainable collective bargaining agreements.
Solidarity is the driving force behind our colleagues in Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony: They are fighting for the long-overdue equalization of working conditions.
Solidarity is the force that has held society together in recent months. It is our alternative to exclusion, division, and racism. Solidarity is the future!
Dr. Hans-Jürgen Urban, Executive Board Member of IG Metall:
Decent work, social democracy, and global solidarity—achieving these goals is one of the central tasks of trade unions. The COVID-19 pandemic presents us with additional challenges in this regard. But social distancing and the shared struggle for a better future are only contradictory at first glance. Now, more than ever, is the time for solidarity if we are to successfully combat the virus. In the context of the world of work, solidarity currently means protecting the health of production workers from the virus and ensuring that those working from home have the right to decent and healthy work. But solidarity also means guaranteeing a minimum level of social security for everyone. That’s why we must ensure that everyone is included in the social security systems, whether it’s health insurance or pensions. And as we transform our economy, solidarity demands that we refuse to accept a division between winners and losers—instead, we must work together to shape the ecological transition in a socially just way.
DGB Live Stream for Labor Day: Solidarity Is the Future—May 1, 2021, starting at 2 p.m.
Further information and press photos by Jörg Hofmann
Further information and press photos from Christiane Benner
Further information and press photos from Jürgen Kerner
More information and press photos of Wolfgang Lemb
More information and press photos from Ralf Kutzner
More information and press photos of Irene Schulz
More information and press photos of Dr. Hans-Jürgen Urban
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