Vanessa Barth, born 1969, lives in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where she works for IG Metall, the union for the German metal, electronics, textile, wood, and plastics industries. With its 2.27 million members, the union is a major trendsetter in national bargaining. One of Barth’s focus areas is the future development of digital work environments.
IG Metall
Working hours, collective bargaining, and even the right to organize: all these accomplishments are at risk in the Internet age. Barth’s talk focuses on IG Metall’s activities in support of fair digital labor. The Metal Worker’s Union has started a dialogue with German platforms about fair standards for digital labor. This includes baseline salaries and social security for freelancers and co-determination when it comes to changes of the platforms. Part of IG Metall’s strategy is to build an international network of unions and activists.