German unions fear 300,000 industry jobs at stake

The IG Metall union has warned that an estimated 300,000 jobs are at stake in the metal and electronics industry, and that the problems go back to before the coronavirus crisis. It's predicting serious conflicts will erupt during the fall between employers and the union. Union officials accuse companies of taking advantage of the crisis to carry out cost cutting measures that were unrelated to the current state of affairs. If employees go along with the current plans in some companies, it will put pressure on other companies to follow suit in order to remain competitive. Union officials have pledged to fight for every job and are pushing Germany and Europe to support efforts to transition to greener technology and more sustainable products. This includes promoting steel that's produced in a climate-friendly way and for subsidies that could help support the production and use of hydrogen trucks for use by freight forwarders.