The new IG Metall boss Christiane Benner has called for government investments worth three-digit billions for the ecological restructuring of the industry. A special fund could be set up for this purpose with a value of 500 to 600 billion euros by 2030, Benner told the newspapers of the Funke media group. This sum will be necessary for the expansion of renewable energies and the development of the hydrogen infrastructure to be successful.
“The industry is in the most critical phase since the founding of the Federal Republic,” said the trade unionist. Germany still has one of the lowest unemployment rates among industrialized countries. “But we urgently need to drive big stakes and make the right decisions if we want to prevent things from slipping.”
The special industrial fund must be anchored in a “watertight” manner in the Basic Law, demanded Benner. “These investments are in the national interest. All democratic parties are called upon to rally behind them.”
