IG Metall is Germany’s and Europe’s largest industrial trade union, representing workers across the metalworking, electrical, automotive, machinery, steel, wood and plastics, and related manufacturing sectors. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, it negotiates collective agreements on wages, working time, and working conditions, supports works councils, and engages in training, occupational safety, and industrial policy. IG Metall is a member of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB).
For the chemical value chain, IG Metall’s bargaining outcomes and workplace agreements affect suppliers of plant engineering, process equipment, instrumentation, maintenance services, and other upstream industries that serve chemical producers. It also organizes parts of the plastics processing and mechanical engineering segments that intersect with chemical materials and technologies. The union plays a prominent role in Germany’s co-determination system and in debates on industrial transformation, digitalization, and climate transition, which influence investment and labor dynamics across manufacturing.