In Frankfurt, between 18 – 24 October, IG Metall, the world’s largest major trade union with almost 2.3 million members, voted in its new management team. On Tuesday 20 October, former number 2, 59-year-old Jörg Hofman, was elected as head of IG Metall with 91.3% of the vote. A cultural revolution also occurred, as for the first time in the union’s history, a female was elected as Vice-President of the union. 47-year-old digital sector expert Christiane Benner was voted in with 91.9% of the vote. During his address on Wednesday 21 October the new President presented the union’s strategic direction for the next few years. Thirty years after the 35-hour week was introduced, IG Metall is looking to launch a national campaign for changing working time and taking back the reins in an area where the union has lost influence. The union also announced it would continue to combat both excessive recourse to sub-contracting and the erosion of the collective agreement system.
A break with IG Metall history. Jörg Hofmann comes from Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg and is an economist by training. This somewhat distracted looking professor is not known for his oratory prowess but is widely regarded as an extremely fine negotiator with longstanding experience. As head of the powerful Baden-Württemberg union for ten years, he made his mark on the annals of collective bargaining in the metals sector with the famous ‘Pforzheim agreements’ amongst others.
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