Aluminum is a material with great potential for sustainability and climate protection. However, the industry and its employees need planning security and a long-term industrial policy framework. This was the result of an intensive exchange between IG Metall, IG BCE (Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union) and leading representatives of the German aluminum industry.
The increasing trade policy distortions are a cause for concern for the discussion partners. The US government recently imposed punitive tariffs on imports of rolled products from 18 countries. The provisional anti-dumping duties on rolled products from Germany have no basis whatsoever. The level of the tariffs of up to 352% also shows that this is a purely protectionist measure and in no way serves to restore a level playing field. Both the trade unions and representatives of the aluminum industry welcomed the activities of the European Commission and the German government. Most recently, EU Trade Commissioner and Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombroskis appealed to the US Secretary of Commerce to strengthen transatlantic trade relations and put them back on the basis of a common set of rules.
Volker Backs, Managing Director of Hydro Rolled Products GmbH, emphasized: "The support of the German government on this issue is extremely important. If this decision by the USA stands, we in Germany will remain excluded from the world's second largest western market - with all the consequences for the location and employment."
The participants agreed on the potential of aluminum. Manuel Bloemers, trade union secretary of IG Metall and industry representative for the aluminum industry, made it clear: "On the way to a climate-neutral industry, aluminum with its recyclability and diversity is an important building block." Addressing the political decision-makers in Brussels and Berlin, he added: "Companies need clear and, above all, long-term guidelines on the path to a climate-neutral continent. At the moment, it seems as if the political flanks are being set again and again - regardless of the companies' long-term investment and strategic plans. Many 10,000 well-paid jobs depend on the aluminum industry in Germany. The number of downstream and induced jobs is many times higher."
Philipp Schlüter, CEO of TRIMET Aluminium SE, underlined the importance of competitive electricity prices for the aluminum industry in Germany: "Germany's industrial value creation needs affordable electricity from renewable sources to maintain its competitiveness - climate protection must become a business case."
Manuel Rendla, Trade Union Secretary of IG BCE, emphasized: "The companies in the aluminium industry support the social and political goal of a climate-neutral industry. This requires a reliable plan for grid expansion, security in electricity prices and a consistent expansion of renewable energies. The industry and its employees need a strategy that goes beyond the length of one legislative period."
IG Metall, IG BCE and the Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e. V. (GDA) have been organizing the industry dialogue, an intensive exchange between works councils and company managers, for more than 15 years. Even though this year's event could not take place due to the current situation, the open discussion must continue. Dr. Hinrich Mählmann, personally liable partner of OTTO FUCHS KG and GDA President, emphasized: "Even if we cannot always agree, the exchange with the trade unions is irreplaceable. Because we are very much in agreement on the importance of Germany as a business location and its employees. We are committed to this, each of us individually and all of us together."
