Press Release Wolfgang Lemb: Transformation Can Only Succeed with Decent Work

Reutlingen – In his speech at the DGB’s May Day rally in Reutlingen, Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall, called for strengthening solidarity in Europe and shaping the ecological transformation of industry in a way that benefits workers.

“Baden-Württemberg holds great potential for the technological developments of tomorrow,” said the union leader, referring to the automotive and mechanical engineering industries. “Politicians and employers must finally get moving so that technological progress also translates into social progress.” The union leader warned against placing the burden of the transformation’s costs solely on workers and using the ecological transition as an excuse to erode jobs and social standards. The ecological structural transformation of industry will only succeed if decent work is secured through collective bargaining agreements and employee participation.

On June 29, IG Metall will hold a rally in Berlin under the hashtag #FairWandel to voice its demands for a social, ecological, and democratic transformation of the world of work.

In Europe, the social dimension must be strengthened. “The EU must not be merely a single market; fundamental social rights must take precedence over capital interests,” Lemb demanded. Brexit and the rise of right-wing forces have plunged the EU into an existential crisis. The only answer to this can be to make Europe better. The labor leader called for “putting workers at the center of European policy, making the EU more resilient to economic crises through a reform of the Economic and Monetary Union, and strengthening social dialogue in Europe by expanding worker participation.”

Speech by Wolfgang Lemb on May 1

Further information

Unions demonstrate on May 1 for a social Europe and a fair transition