PRESS STATEMENT Four-day workweek for the steel industry

In the upcoming collective bargaining round for the West German steel industry, IG Metall intends to demand a four-day workweek with full wage compensation. Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall, comments:

“For years, IG Metall has not only been advocating for the four-day workweek on a societal level but has also been implementing it in practice. Thanks to the collective bargaining option to temporarily reduce working hours or use it as a tool to secure jobs, the four-day workweek can already be implemented today for many of our colleagues. The demand to implement the four-day workweek with full wage compensation in the steel industry aims, for the first time, to establish a collective, collectively bargained entitlement for employees across an entire industry. This is the next step toward an attractive industrial work environment that allows for a good balance between life and work.

The steel industry has often been a pioneer in progressive collective bargaining agreements—including those related to working hours. For example, workers in the industry went on strike as early as 1978 to demand a 35-hour workweek. In this respect, this demand also has implications that extend beyond the steel industry. However, no major collective bargaining negotiations are scheduled for IG Metall this year (apart from the ongoing automotive sector negotiations).”

Further information and press photos of Jörg Hofmann