Employee Representation

Our employees in Germany make use of their option to unionize. However, employees are under no obligation to inform their employer of any union membership, and the employer is not permitted to ask. We therefore do not know how many union members there are at WACKER. Approximately 90 percent of our employees worldwide work in organizational units that have employee representation and are subject to collective-bargaining regulations.

Where a collective-bargaining agreement exists on the employer’s side, WACKER employment contracts treat staff based in Germany – regardless of their union membership – as if they were covered by the respective applicable collective-bargaining agreement.

Every WACKER site in Germany has employee representatives. Elections are held regularly, most recently in 2018. WACKER actively nurtures social partnership. In the interests of the company’s employees, relations between management and employee representatives are close and constructive. Innovative and feasible company agreements are one result of this dialogue.

Internationally, employees are also free to unionize. If non-German sites have no (statutory or voluntary) employee representation, HR staff members are the contacts for employee interests.