Webinar with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the German IG Metal on the transformation of work in China and Germany

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the German Metalworkers Union (IG Metal) and the FES Beijing office jointly hosted a webinar on the transformation of work in China and Germany to exchange ideas on the operational level of action to shape the transformations caused by disruptive technological changes and the climate change.

Representatives from the ACFTU  and the IG Metal international departments – like Ma Jin, head of ACFTU´s international department and Jochen Schroth, head of the IG Metal´s transnational trade union department; from ACFTU´s engineering and construction union – like the deputy chairperson Guang Ming; workers representatives of huge car companies like FAW and Mercedes Benz as well as experts from the Chinese Institute of Industrial Relations

as well as the IG Metal thinktank on the future of work agreed that unions in both countries see the necessity to actively address the opportunities and challenges of these transformations. In both countries new forms of work are emerging on a large scale, while the requirement for qualifications are changing. Providing affordable education and qualification seems to be a consensus, while it still needs to be clarified in each national context who will cover the costs for it. ACFTU and the IG Metal agreed that they will intensify their exchange again in the next years with the support of the FES Beijing office.