Overview

• IG Metall’s East German districts issued a joint statement cautioning that the region faces a renewed wave of industrial decline.
• The union urges politicians to adopt relief measures to prevent job cuts and plant closures in vulnerable communities.
• Proposals include an industrial electricity price of €0.05 per kilowatt-hour, faster renewables expansion, e-mobility incentives, and support for the offshore industry.
• Leaders highlight risks to social cohesion and democracy and cite sectors rebuilt after reunification—automotive, steel, and rail vehicle manufacturing—as particularly exposed.
• The appeal lands as the East German minister-presidents meet today at Schloss Ettersburg, with expected attendance by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and East Commissioner Elisabeth Kaiser.