Trade unions are the social force for democratisation of the world of work. That is why we fight against any form of discrimination in the workplace. IG BCE is setting a good example of what can be done concretely in the workplace to fight racism and discrimination. I hope this will inspire others in our movement to tackle racism in the workplace head-on.

Amid the “Black Lives Matter” protests, German union IG BCE has decided to actively fight racism and right-wing extremism in the workplace. With the pro-active campaign "Show your face - raise your voice", IG BCE wants to promote diversity in the chemical sector through the negotiation of company agreements. 

To achieve this goal, IG BCE has developed a template for company agreements on protection against discrimination in the workplace, which also includes recognition of foreign qualifications and work experience. The union is now committed to systematically promoting this template agreement as a basis for company negotiations. 

The template agreement calls on the management and works councils to "oppose all forms of discrimination on the basis of or because of ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity". All decisions, agreements, actions and resolutions must therefore be based on the principle of non-discrimination, equal treatment and the promotion of equal opportunities.

If these principles are violated, those affected can turn to complaint bodies. Following a complaint, a procedure of up to ten steps begins - from the involvement of management to consequences under labour, civil or criminal law.

To ensure that all workers really have the same opportunities, qualifications and experience acquired outside Germany, must be considered favourably in recruitment, transfers and promotions. Since language skills are particularly important for a smooth production process, the companies should offer in-house language courses during working time free of charge.

In order to ensure equal treatment, selection should be based on uniform criteria: In recruitment tests and personal interviews, only questions relating to professional requirements should be decisive for the assessment. Questions about cultural, religious or ideological views or national origins must not be asked.

“Trade unions are the social force for democratisation of the world of work. That is why we fight against any form of discrimination in the workplace. IG BCE is setting a good example of what can be done concretely in the workplace to fight racism and discrimination. I hope this will inspire others in our movement to tackle racism in the workplace head-on.” said industriAll Europe's General Secretary Luc Triangle.

More information including the template agreement is available here

Contact: Andrea Husen-Bradley (Press and Communications)