The chemical union IG BCE is one of the largest unions in Germany. She too is alarmed by the current mood. Real wage losses should be compensated for in collective bargaining rounds.
The IG BCE union is very concerned about the situation in Germany. “A dangerous underlying mood of fear of relegation and disillusionment with the state is spreading among the population, which is playing into the hands of the radicals and populists,” said union chairman Michael Vassiliadis on Monday. He called for an investment pact worth billions. Germany must get started.
Union sees many problems
Pessimism and financial worries had also reached the broad middle class among employees, which included most of the union members. Vassiliadis also referred to a survey of 3,300 trade unionists. Accordingly, three out of four employees in the IG-BCE sectors would have to limit their household budget.
The traffic light coalition promised a lot when it started and also got a lot of things underway. However, Vassiliadis criticized the government’s public disputes “about everything.” That cost trust among the population. He called for a “power cocktail” for Germany: massive investments in the transformation of industry and the modernization of infrastructure as well as lower, competitive energy prices. The federal government has drawn the wrong conclusions from the budget crisis: “We don’t need a clear-cutting savings bank, we need an investment offensive in the climate-friendly modernization of our industry.”
Warning of job losses
Vassiliadis is dissatisfied with the state of the energy transition, i.e. the gradual departure from fossil fuels such as coal and gas. High energy prices in international comparison are a major competitive disadvantage compared to other industrialized nations. An electricity price package planned by the federal government will not solve the problem. The production of energy-intensive companies is 20 percent below pre-Corona levels. The result is shutdowns, job cuts and site closures – and production moving abroad.
Union wants noticeable wage increase
At the end of January, IG BCE wants to present its recommendation for around 585,000 employees in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Vassiliadis did not want to be specific about what exactly the union wants. There must be “noticeable wage increases” in order to put an end to real wage losses. The Federal Chemical Employers Association, on the other hand, sees a “crisis collective bargaining round,” as it says in a paper. “It can’t be about distributing increases that aren’t there.”
Vassiliadis generally sees the increasing importance of trade unions. The IG BCE saw a record number of new members last year, increasing by more than 11 percent to a good 31,800. Due to demographics, the total number fell by 1.3 percent to around 573,000.
Source: Stern
