Germany: IG BCE chemistry union and Technikum temporary work agency create the first training fund for all agency workers

A company agreement… open to all sectors.  The creation of the first Continuous Learning Fund for agency workers in Germany isn’t the result of sectoral negotiations with numerous partners but of an isolated initiative between a trade union and a temporary work agency specialized in technical trades.  “We started talking about it in 2004 when the IG BCE and the company which has now become Technikum were discussing a company agreement.  Training is a particularly sensitive issue in temporary work that focuses on manufacturing and technical industries.  Many applicants have incomplete training, which limits the number of jobs we can post them to.  Growing appeal to temporary work and the increasing shortage of skilled workers drove us to take action at company level rather than waiting until we could impose our plan at sectoral level” Stahl explains.  “We chose to use an example to prove our point, which doesn’t mean that the fund isn’t open to any other interested company and all our colleagues from the German Trade Union Confederation.”  Organizations willing to join the fund will not have to negotiate a company agreement, simply to join the organization – simply acknowledging the operating principles of the company agreement signed between Technikum and the IG BCE.