Germany’s biggest union calls for 4-day week

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  • August 17, 2020 at 11:31 am #119448
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    link:https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-biggest-union-calls-for-4-day-week-to-save-thousands-of-jobs/a-54582132

    Germany’s biggest union calls for 4-day week to save thousands of jobs

    Germany’s automotive and industrial sectors were already undergoing huge structural changes before the pandemic struck. The IG Metall union thinks a shorter working week could now help prevent mass layoffs.

    Germany’s largest trade union IG Metall proposed a four-day working week ahead of the next round of collective bargaining talks due to begin next year, reported German media on Saturday.

    The shorter week would be “the answer to structural changes in sectors such as the automotive industry,” said union chair Jörg Hoffman to German national newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.

    “With this, jobs in the industry can be kept instead of being written off,” added Hoffman.

    Germany’s automotive industry — one of the mainstays of the country’s economy —is undergoing a major transformation to e-mobility, spurred by concerns over climate change as well as increasing automation and digitalization. The sector was also hit by the pandemic-induced financial crisis, although it is showing signs of recovery.

    IG Metall, which represents workers from major carmakers such as Audi, BMW and Porsche, is Europe’s largest industrial union. Analysts consider it a major national trendsetter in bargaining.

    Read more: How coronavirus pandemic has spurred change in Germany

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