Press Release Irene Schulz: Europe must set standards for good jobs and good education

Ingolstadt – Irene Schulz, executive board member of IG Metall, advocates for a Europe that people trust. “Europe is a peace project. First and foremost, it must be there for its citizens, not for the markets, and it must bring tangible progress for individuals,” said the union leader in her May 1 speech in Ingolstadt. Schulz expects the EU to set standards for decent work and quality education, and to invest in climate protection and a sustainable industrial sector.

For industry—especially in a region like Ingolstadt—the key lies in how successfully the automotive industry’s transformation, as well as the mobility and energy transitions, are managed. Schulz: “This requires strategies for local operations and a management team that thinks ahead, doesn’t act with a short-term mindset, and works with us to expand employee participation.” Digital and ecological transformation can only succeed in collaboration with workers, not against them. Schulz: “Those who rely on short-term staff cuts and cost reductions are resorting to outdated measures.” Schulz called on people to travel to Berlin on June 29 and demonstrate at the Brandenburg Gate for a social, ecological, and democratic transformation of industry.

To master the ecological and digital transformation, higher collective bargaining coverage is necessary. “Strong collective bargaining agreements are the anchor for social cohesion and social equity. Employers who talk about social partnership on Sundays and then withdraw from the collective bargaining association on Mondays lack credibility,” said the union leader. Bavaria ranks last among the western German states in terms of collective bargaining coverage among employees.

Schulz rejects a society organized according to the principle of “the winner takes it all”: “IG Metall stands for a society in which prosperity is distributed fairly. It does not stand for a form of digital capitalism that gives rise to monopolies like Google or Amazon, which pay little or no taxes in Germany.” A fair tax policy and a determined fight against tax fraud are long overdue.

Speech by Irene Schulz on May 1

Further information

Unions are demonstrating on May 1 for a social Europe and a fair transition