IG Metall Koblenz rallies for job security over corporate profits on May Day
Under the slogan "Our jobs first, then your profits," IG Metall Koblenz calls for a major demonstration through the city center this coming Friday, May 1. The union accuses many companies of prioritizing profits over job security and has issued clear demands to policymakers.
As IG Metall announced at the end of March, the region's industrial sector is under pressure. Many firms, under the guise of "competitiveness," are primarily seeking to boost their returns—often with little regard for local jobs. The union now expects decisive action from politicians.
Clear Demands for Politics and Business
With the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate in mind, the union is calling for swift government formation. The new state administration must immediately set the right policy course to safeguard employment. "People in this state need a reliable government and security amid change. Politicians must now stand with workers," says Ali Yener, the union's lead representative in Koblenz.
At the same time, Yener warns against undermining the welfare state. "Under the pretext of tight public budgets, pressure on employees is rising, and social safety nets are being called into question," he says. When politicians talk about reforms, they usually mean cuts to benefits. IG Metall is demanding fair solutions so that people do not have to fear change or hardship.
The union also cites studies showing that high labor costs are not the real obstacle to competitiveness—rather, it is a lack of investment. "Companies must invest in future technologies, and policymakers must finally create economic conditions that encourage these decisions," Yener demands. As a concrete solution, IG Metall proposes that firms selling products in Europe should also manufacture them here. State subsidies, the union argues, should be tied to local job creation.
Demonstration Route and Schedule
The rally on Friday begins at 10:00 AM with a stage program at the assembly area on Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer. The march will set off at 11:15 AM.
The route will take demonstrators along Stresemannstraße, Reichenspergerplatz (with a brief stop), Neustadt, Clemensstraße, Gymnasialstraße, Willi-Hörter-Platz, Jesuitenplatz, Firmungstraße, Nagelsgasse, Am Alten Hospital, Kastorhof, and Esther-Bejarano-Straße.
The demonstration will conclude at the green spaces near Deutsches Eck, where a further stage program—featuring political speeches and cultural performances—will run from approximately 11:55 AM to 3:00 PM. The official end of the gathering is scheduled for 6:00 PM. "Join us on May 1! For secure jobs, for social security, for fair policies," the union urges in its final appeal.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
