“We cast various components here, such as engine housings for chainsaws. They’re cast from magnesium because it’s a particularly light and durable metal. It’s loud in the foundry—you need ear protection—and the air quality isn’t the best either. But when I finished my apprenticeship, I wanted to work here because of the pay. We work in three shifts and receive hardship allowances. When I look at what others here in the Eifel earn—tradespeople, for example—it’s simply good money. Many skilled workers from the region now cross the nearby border to work in Luxembourg because the deductions there are lower and they end up with more take-home pay. Fortunately, here at Stihl we have good collective bargaining agreements, and everything is reasonably regulated. Ultimately, the money gives me the chance to enjoy my free time and pursue my hobbies.
The weekend is sacred to me. I hop on my motorcycle and ride off-road with friends, deep into the wilderness. That’s the balance I simply need to counteract the work here. If I don’t get to ride my motorcycle for a while, my girlfriend notices right away and thinks to herself: Oh no, oh no… That’s why: If the shift schedule here were to change and I had to work through the weekend—that would be a disaster for me.
I was one of the people who demonstrated in Cologne in 2011 for permanent employment contracts. For me, that was one of the best days of my life. As a youth representative, I’d organized a half-bus full of Stihl apprentices: Together we drove to the IG Metall demonstration, and then things really took off. Twenty thousand young people on the streets, and that feeling—that we were fighting together for a good cause—it was just incredible. And what happened? A year later, we secured a collective bargaining agreement for the permanent hiring of apprentices. In a way, the youth of IG Metall made union history with that. It’s this sense of “we” that convinces me of the value of unions: when many people get involved, a lot is possible. In any case, I’m a union member through and through, and I stand up for the interests of my colleagues.”
