Germany: chemistry union appoints future chair

Call in favor of industrial SMEs. Hubertus Schmoldt, who is still the chair, used the appointment to criticize, in an unusually strong way, the Federal Government’s support to industrial SMEs as part of the anticrisis plan. Mr. Schmoldt judges that access to the economic support fund recently established (Wirtschaftsfond Deutschland) mostly helps large businesses, which have the means to answer quickly to the administrative requirements necessary to apply. He also regretted that government support is massively turned towards the financial sector. “The biggest risk in the way we handle the crisis is that the political world isn’t truly aware of the fact that our economy is mostly based on the industry” he declared. Consequently, he asked that the assistance fund, currently provided with €115bn, be rapidly increased to answer the needs of the industry. He also asked for changes to the partial unemployment system. He proposes that employees over 60 sent to full-time partial unemployment (Kurzarbeit Null) should receive 90% of their wages if the company employs young workers at the same time. For his part, his successor made no comments about current events. He simply listed topics he wants to work on, notably improve the “quality” of corporate co management, the need to develop true “strategic industrial policy” in Germany or even better acceptance of new technologies such as genetic engineering. Employers positively welcomed Mr. Vassiliadis’ coming arrival. “We are convinced that, with Mr. Vassiliadis as its leader, the IG BCE will remain a constructive and reliable social partner” declared Hans Paul Frey, BAVC general secretary, who also said goodbye to Werner Bischof, member of the IG BCE’s board in charge of collective bargaining. In October, Peter Hausmann, currently leader of the IG BCE in North-Rhineland, should replace Mr. Bischof.