The debate resurfaces with the crisis. How long do we have to work? Should we reduce working hours to save jobs in times of crisis? According to Germany's leading trade union and Europe's largest in terms of membership, IG Metall, the answer is yes. This is precisely the proposal that was made this weekend for the metallurgy and automotive industry.
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“ The four-day week could help keep industrial jobs instead of cutting them, ” IG Metall chief Joerg Hofman told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung . According to him, reducing the number of hours worked, rather than layoffs, is essential to retain skilled workers.
A vision shared by his French counterpart, secretary general of the CGT, Philippe Martinez. " You have to work less to work all and produce differently ", assured the union leader a few weeks ago. According to him, “ reducing working time means creating jobs. "
According to forecasts made last month by a member of IG Metall's board of directors, the coronavirus crisis has already endangered some 300,000 jobs in these sectors in Germany. In addition to this proposal, IG Metall calls on the government to extend partial unemployment benefits, intended to cushion the shock of the crisis, to 24 months, against 21 months maximum today.
In 2018, after a series of strikes and a very important social conflict, IG Metall had reached an agreement allowing metal workers to work 28 hours a week, for a maximum of two years, in particular to take care of children or other relatives.
