IG Metall
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| Full name | German Metalworkers' Union |
|---|---|
| Native name | Industriegewerkschaft Metall |
| Members | 2.27 million |
| Affiliation | DGB |
| Key people | Jörg Hofmann, president |
| Office location | Frankfurt, Germany |
| Country | Germany |
| Website | www.igmetall.de |
IG Metall (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.
The name refers to the union's metalworkers roots dating back to the start of unions in imperial Germany in the 1890s, though this formal organization was founded post-war in 1949. Over the years the union has taken on representation in industries beyond mining of minerals to include manufacturing and industrial production, machinists, printing industry, which includes modern automobile manufacturing and steel production as part of its blue-collar root, but also includes more white-collar sectors such as electrical and other forms of engineering, information systems, and with the combining of formerly separate unions for workers in wood, plastics, textiles and clothing, includes non-metal blue-collar workers.
Major accomplishments of IG Metall in the German labor market include, applied to the regions/covered employees:
IGM is a member of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB). IGM is also a member of some international union umbrella organisations.
On April 1, 1998 the Gewerkschaft Textil und Bekleidung (GTB), the trade union of textile and clothing joined IGM.
On January 1, 2000 the Gewerkschaft Holz und Kunststoff (GHK), the trade union of wood and plastics joined IGM.
Deals agreed by IG Metall in the pilot region of Baden-Württemberg, an industrial and car-making hub and home to Daimler and Bosch, traditionally serve as a template for agreements across the country.
Today, IG Metall mainly represents employees at major car makers such as Daimler, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi and industrial giants such as Siemens, Thyssen-Krupp, Airbus, Salzgitter AG, ArcelorMittal, Bosch and smaller mechanic construction companies and car-mechanics. Its membership had been dropping in recent decades, yet the union managed to somewhat reverse that trend recenly by gaining 30,000 members between 2010 and 2015. A record in wage deals, along with a push to recruit more women, young people (e.g. students) and white-collar workers, helped it boost 2015 membership by 121,000 to 2.3 million and income by 3.4 percent to 533 million euros ($582 million); this rise came against a backdrop of generally declining union in Germany.
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