Tens of thousands of steel jobs at risk, IG Metall warns in Berlin protest

At the heart of the union's demands is a reliable, long-term industrial electricity price. IG Metall criticized the existing industrial electricity price as time-limited, contingent on financing, and effective only "homöopathisch" – homeopathically – against expensive energy. The union also urged politicians not to water down European climate requirements, arguing that doing so would jeopardize the transition to green steel.

Climate rules at the center

Speaking in Berlin, Christiane Benner underlined the strategic importance of the industry. "Stahl ist systemrelevant," she said, declaring: "Wir wollen grünen Stahl produzieren, unsere Stahlwerke werden, soweit es geht, klimaneutral." She called on policymakers to create the conditions for that transition: "Politik muss Möglichkeiten schaffen."

The EU Commission is expected to present proposals in Brussels in July for a revision of the emissions trading system. Industry representatives and some political voices are pushing to weaken the rules in order to ease the financial burden from trading CO2 certificates. IG Metall has rejected that approach, warning it would derail investments already made in greener production.

Voices from Saarland

MEP Martina Ripa, a member of the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) from Saarland, echoed that concern. She warned against disadvantaging companies that had invested early in climate-friendly technologies, saying companies must be able to trust that such investments will be rewarded by politicians. "Es gehe nicht nur um die Zukunft einzelner Betriebe, sondern um die Zukunft einer ganzen Region," Ripa said, framing the issue as one that affects not only individual companies but an entire region.

The combination of trade pressures, energy costs, and regulatory uncertainty has placed Germany's steel sector in what union officials describe as a structural crisis. With production volumes at a multi-year low and major investments in low-carbon technology still pending, the industry is asking for binding political commitments on electricity prices, trade defense, and climate policy that extend beyond the current legislative period.

The demonstration in Berlin and the rally in Völklingen underline the political weight the union is seeking to apply ahead of the EU's July proposals. Both events sent a coordinated message: the transition to green steel is viable, but only if Berlin and Brussels provide the regulatory and financial conditions to make it happen.