We are IG Metall Andreas Kaiser

“We manufacture packaging materials—everything related to film and plastic: yogurt lids, coffee packaging, the film for cheese triangles, or the instant ketchup pouches. As an electrician, I’m responsible for maintenance. I repair anything electrical that breaks down. Or I might have to install a new control system somewhere. I like the variety. I get to move around the plant a lot, work in different areas, and talk to many colleagues. And the atmosphere in our electrical workshop is great. That’s also thanks to my supervisor—I can always count on him.

I work three shifts: night, early morning, and late. It used to be okay, but now I know: humans aren’t built to work at night. Working the night shift makes you more agitated and irritable. That ends up affecting your family, too. And afterward, you need at least two days to get back into your normal rhythm. That’s why I think it’s important for people to have the option to do something else if they can no longer handle shift work. Young people need money—it’s always been that way—so they start out working shifts. But the older you get, the more important your health becomes.

Without the wage increases we fight for as IG Metall, our wallets would be pretty empty. That’s why I think it’s fair for everyone to do their part. And you easily make back your union dues with every pay raise. Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement, we all earn a decent living here. But that’s also due to the company’s good organization. More than 90 percent of us here are members of IG Metall—we’re a unionized workforce that stands up for our rights. There was a time when management handed out flyers listing all the benefits we supposedly receive. We had a good laugh at that. Of course we get those benefits—but not because the company gives them to us, but because we fought for them.”