IAM Local Lodge 2468 President George Zoni visited Germany in July 2023 and made it a point to contact IG Metall (Industriegewerkschaft Metall, “Industrial Union of Metalworkers”). They are Germany’s largest union, as well as Europe’s largest industrial union.
Zoni contacted Dirk Linder, IG Metall’s International Co-ordinator, to see if a visit with union members was possible. Linder arranged for visits to Mulheim, Düsseldorf this week and Budapest on Wednesday July 18.
“I work at Siemens I met with IG Metall works council representatives at the Siemens Energy plant in Mülheim, said Zoni, “and Marie Frietsche gave me an update of the union situation at Siemens Energy.
“Similar to Canada, there is currently a labour shortage of skilled workers despite their apprenticeship programs. I then received an extensive tour of the factory, with Alf ven de Wetering, where they build steam turbines, ranging from closet size to 600 tonnes! They are also now building hydrogen production electrolysis machines that they fit together in an array that produce hydrogen for fuel use as opposed to using fossil fuels.”
Zoni then sat in on a Siemens AG works council meeting with representatives of the North Rhine-Westphalia region. He was introduced by Mimon Uhamou, works council chairperson, and asked for a report on the Siemens Energy AGT situation in Montreal. As is the case in Mulheim, other regions of Germany are also experiencing a labour shortage.
Following the meeting, Zoni met with the representatives and discussed the possibility of IG Metall representatives visiting the Montreal factory in the near future.
“My thanks to IG Metall for their amazing hospitality and I look forward to meeting with them again in the near future!” said Zoni. “This is what international solidarity and communications is all about.”
