Berlin – Under the slogan “Steel Has a Future – With Us!”, around 1,700 workers from over 40 steel plants across Germany heeded IG Metall’s call today and demonstrated in Berlin for a strong and sustainable steel industry. After a march from the Brandenburg Gate, the participants gathered for a rally in front of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The message: Policymakers must consistently implement the measures promised at the steel summit last November and must not stop halfway.
Too slow, too hesitant, not decisive enough
Jürgen Kerner, Second Chair of IG Metall, emphasized: “The time for hesitation must now be over. The problems are known; the solutions are on the table. But what we’re seeing is too often too slow, too hesitant, and not decisive enough. We can’t afford that.” Europe has decided to achieve climate-neutral production by 2050, Kerner reminded the crowd. That’s why it’s clear to IG Metall: “The steel industry must remain. We want to produce green steel; our steel mills will become climate-neutral as far as possible. But policymakers must consistently create the conditions to make this happen!”
Call for Greater Unity in the Steel Industry
In his speech, Kerner called for unity: “If everyone fights for themselves, we’ll all lose! I won’t accept individuals trying to pit steelworkers against one another.” A dispute has flared up within the industry over how to handle the Emissions Trading System (ETS): Manufacturers who are already well advanced in retrofitting their plants and will soon be able to produce in a more climate-friendly manner hope this will give them an advantage over their competitors and do not want to undermine the system. The laggards, on the other hand, fear additional costs because they need the money to catch up.
Call for Balance in Emissions Trading
In this context, Kerner called on policymakers to take a measured approach: “We need reliability for the locations that have invested in green steel. Fundamentally questioning the ETS is wrong. That puts tens of thousands of jobs at risk. At the same time, however, we need a bridge to green steel in places where investment isn’t possible due to a lack of funds. Adjustments are necessary so that no company is left behind. We’re moving toward the future—but with everyone!”
Progress is evident—but the pace isn’t fast enough
At a steel summit at the Chancellery in 2025, politicians, industry representatives, and the union jointly committed to preserving steel production in Germany. They also agreed on the measures necessary to achieve this: competitive energy prices, trade protection, and local content requirements. IG Metall acknowledges that progress is being made in all areas. However, employees are convinced that, overall, progress is too slow and policymakers are acting too hesitantly. Jürgen Kerner: “The glass is half full, but the other half is still missing. We are here to urge policymakers to take the missing steps to ensure Germany remains a steel-producing nation.”
IG Metall also received support from politicians themselves: Felix Banaszak (Alliance 90/The Greens), Ines Schwerdtner (The Left), Andreas Bovenschulte (Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and President of the Bundesrat), and Sebastian Roloff (SPD) spoke at the rally. Works council chairs and labor directors from the steel industry also described the situation in their companies and underscored the urgency of political action.
At the same time as the rally in Berlin, several thousand steelworkers demonstrated in Völklingen, Saarland.
