PRESS RELEASE Electricity Costs: IG Metall and Gesamtmetall Call for Relief

Berlin/Frankfurt. Gesamtmetall and IG Metall are calling for the immediate introduction of an industrial electricity rate to end the structural disadvantage facing Germany as a business location. Both emphasize the urgency of this for the metal and electrical industries.

Dr. Stefan Wolf, President of the employers’ association Gesamtmetall: “There are many steps to take on the path back to becoming a competitive business location. A crucial one is ensuring affordable energy. An industrial electricity rate of 5—or better yet, 4—cents per kilowatt-hour must be implemented now, also as a signal to companies that the cost issues facing Germany as a business location are finally being addressed. We have an innovative industry as well as skilled and motivated employees. They share a common interest in making production in Germany profitable again.”

Christiane Benner, President of IG Metall: “It’s already five past midnight for industrial jobs. The announced industrial electricity price must therefore finally be implemented now. Without this relief, tens of thousands more jobs in energy-intensive industries are at risk of being lost forever. Politicians must not simply stand by and watch this happen. Internationally competitive energy prices are already crucial for an industrialized country like Germany. This will become even more important in the future, because in a climate-neutral economy, green electricity will replace many fossil fuels. The transformation of industry must not come at the expense of jobs.”

Energy-intensive industries in Germany are under massive competitive pressure. While countries such as France, Sweden, and the U.S. provide their companies with significant cost advantages through government-regulated or subsidized electricity prices, German companies pay some of the highest industrial electricity prices in Europe. This structural disadvantage not only jeopardizes domestic jobs and value creation but also the long-term viability of Germany as an industrial hub. Companies, trade associations, and labor unions have therefore long been pushing for tangible relief from energy prices.