English

Associations are partners

In a social market economy, employers' associations perform imposant  tasks. They act as liaison between business community, society and political actors. In the debate on economic and social policies they present the case of the entrepreneur employers' associations are experienced partners in implementing autonomous collective bargainings.

Our association

The Verband der Metall- und Elektro-Industrie Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. (METALL NRW) is one of the most important employers' associations in Germany. lt represents about 2,300 member companies with a total of 670,000 employees. lt is thus the biggest state association of the metal and electrical industries. METALL NRW is an "association of associations", i.e. individual enterprises are represented indirectly via the 25 regional associations, who offer local advice to their member companies.

METALL NRW maintains contacts to other employers' associations on various regional levels. Our association is a member in the Landesvereinigung der Unternehmensverbände Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. (unternehmer nrw) which is the federation of the employers' associations of all economic sectors in our federal state.

METALL NRW is one of the seventeen members of "Gesamtmetall", the national umbrella organization of the metal and electrical industries, and in its capacity as state association represents the interests of the North Rhine-Westphalian enterprises in the metal and electricai industries. The state associations of the employers are independent organizations. They are responsible for the collective bargainings in the individual regions.

Collective bargainings have to be prepared, and their outcome has to be implemented in the individual enterprises. METALL NRW obtains the opinion of its members, coordinates the wage policy objectives and collects arguments to bolster its position in the negotiations. Thus our association ensures the solidarity among its members which can be of paramount importance in industrial disputes.

The organization of our association

METALL NRW  is a democratic association. The 26 regional associations delegate their representatives to the General Assembly which is the highest decision-taking body of the association. Moreover, the chairpersons of the members are represented in the Committee (Vorstand) of METALL NRW. They elect the President and the Council (Vorstandsrat) which consists of the President, up to six Vice Presidents, the treasurer and up to seven other members. The Council prepares the resolutions of the Committee. lt is the central authority on collective wage negotiations. The Board of Management (Geschäftsführung) executes the decisions taken by the governing bodies and is in charge of the day-to-day running of the business.

Since 2014 the entrepreneur Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Arndt G. Kirchhoff is President of the Verband der Metall- und Elektro-Industrie Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V.
The Düsseldorf office is run by the General Manager Johannes Pöttering.

Fields of activity

A modern association acts as a service provider for its members. lt offers support and advice. lt collects all important informations, gives interpretation and makes it available to its members. The fields of activity of METALL NRW include collective bargaining and social policy, industrial and social law, economic policy, and press and public relations.