IG Metall
Dominant metalworkers' union in Germany
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Key Takeaways
- IG Metall ( German: [iːɡeː meˈtal] ; IGM ; German: Industriegewerkschaft Metall , "Industrial Union of Metalworkers'") is the dominant metalworkers' union in Germany, making it the country's largest union as well as Europe's largest industrial union.
- IG Metall and ver.
- History IG Metall was founded in 1949.
- Over the years the union has taken on representation in industries beyond mining of minerals to include manufacturing and industrial production, machinists, the printing industry, automobile manufacturing, and steel production as part of its blue-collar roots.
- It has also combined with formerly separate unions for workers in wood, plastics, textiles and clothing, includes non-metal blue-collar workers.
IG Metall (German: [iːɡeː meˈtal] ; IGM; German: Industriegewerkschaft Metall, "Industrial Union of Metalworkers'") is the dominant metalworkers' union in Germany, making it the country's largest union as well as Europe's largest industrial union. Analysts of German labor relations consider it a major trend-setter in national bargaining.
IG Metall and ver.di together account for around 15 percent of the German workforce, and other sectors tend to broadly follow their agreements.
History
IG Metall was founded in 1949. Its name, "IG Metall", refers to the union's roots dating back to the start of unions in imperial Germany in the 1890s. Over the years the union has taken on representation in industries beyond mining of minerals to include manufacturing and industrial production, machinists, the printing industry, automobile manufacturing, and steel production as part of its blue-collar roots. It also includes more white-collar sectors, such as electrical and other forms of engineering and information systems. It has also combined with formerly separate unions for workers in wood, plastics, textiles and clothing, includes non-metal blue-collar workers. On April 1, 1998, the Textile and Clothing Union (GTB) joined IG Metall. On January 1, 2000, the Wood and Plastic Union (GHK), also joined.
Deals agreed by IG Metall in the pilot region of Baden-Württemberg, an industrial and car-making hub and home to Daimler and Bosch, have traditionally served as templates for agreements across the country.
Concessions secured by IG Metall for its members include:
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