Berlin – IG Metall is calling on companies in the machinery and plant engineering sector to push forward with innovative strategies for the future more vigorously, despite the tense economic situation. Only about half of the companies have already set goals regarding climate neutrality, IG Metall criticizes, citing its own survey. Yet the machinery and plant engineering sector forms the foundation for the climate-neutral transition of the entire industry. Investments in domestic locations must not be neglected now, warns IG Metall.
The union is convinced that the industry must also become more attractive to skilled workers. Companies should do a better job of recruiting employees by highlighting the benefits of dual vocational training and the high-quality, collectively bargained, and co-determined jobs. Meanwhile, policymakers must improve the framework conditions for good and secure jobs at domestic locations, IG Metall demands on the occasion of a mechanical engineering conference hosted by the Hans Böckler Foundation in Berlin, which was also attended by Michael Kellner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Jürgen Kerner, Second Chairman of IG Metall: “Many companies are responding to the current situation with old solutions: relocations and restructuring at the expense of employees. But that has never secured the future. We must focus on what has made the industry strong: technological leadership, innovative business models, and skilled workers with good, secure jobs. Only in this way can we hold our own in international competition and successfully navigate the energy transition.
To secure jobs and locations in Germany’s largest employer sector, policymakers must also strengthen the domestic industrial base with reliable framework conditions, sustainable support programs, and investments.”
Michael Kellner, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action: “The mechanical and plant engineering sector and its employees are a cornerstone of our economy and crucial for the development of a climate-neutral industry in Germany and around the world. It is their innovations that are driving the transformation of Germany as a business hub. We are supporting this effort: With the new “Federal Funding for Industry and Climate Protection” program for small and medium-sized enterprises, we are strengthening the sector as both users and providers of innovative machinery ‘made in Germany’ to secure locations with good, fair working conditions in Germany. Another important step is to be implemented through the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which took effect in June 2024 and is intended to rapidly advance the expansion of manufacturing capacities in the field of net-zero technologies. This will also be an important task for the German machinery and plant engineering sector.”
Christina Schildmann, Head of the Research Funding Department, Hans Böckler Foundation: “German machinery and plant manufacturers have been global leaders for decades and enjoy an excellent reputation. At the same time, pressure is mounting in the industry. New competitors, particularly from the Asia-Pacific region, are entering the market and expanding their market share—and by no means only in the lower market segments, but also in areas where complexity and high quality are in demand. In such a competitive environment, the order of the day is not cost-cutting and austerity, but investment: in talent, infrastructure, and innovation—both at the government level and within companies. And it is essential to fully leverage the strength of the German model: decisions made through social partnership will continue to bear fruit.”
At the Mechanical Engineering Conference on September 10 and 11, approximately 250 works council members will gather in Berlin to discuss current industry issues with experts from industry, academia, and politics. Under the title “Climate-Neutral Transformation in Mechanical and Plant Engineering—Shaping the Future,” the conference will address areas of action such as sustainable employment and current challenges for workplace co-determination. The Mechanical Engineering Conference takes place every two years and is organized by the Hans Böckler Foundation in cooperation with IG Metall.
