Update: Please support our petition – defending works council rights and co-determination:
openpetition.de/!sjfmy
Statement of solidarity by the DGB Region Middle Franconia on the attacks against works council rights at Siemens Energy Erlangen and on the summary dismissal of works council member Isabella Paape.
View statement (PDF, DE)Public declaration of solidarity by Ver.di Middle Franconia in support of Isa Paape and workplace co-determination at Siemens Energy Erlangen.
View Facebook postStatement of the local GEW (teachers’ union) chapter in Erlangen on the summary dismissal of Siemens works council member Isa Paape. GEW strongly criticises the company’s actions, calls it an attack on co-determination and urges broad solidarity.
GEW statement (DE)GEW Bavaria also underlines its solidarity with dismissed works council member Isabella Paape via social media and draws public attention to the case in an Instagram post.
View Instagram postStatement by Member of the German Bundestag Evelyn Schötz. She describes the dismissal of works council member Isa Paape at Siemens Energy as an attack on co-determination and democracy in the workplace.
Read statement (DE)Solidarity statement by the IG Metall Erlangen regional office on the protection of workplace co-determination rights at Siemens Energy Erlangen. The statement is based on a unanimous resolution of the local delegates’ assembly, attended by additional IG Metall works council members from Siemens Energy Erlangen.
View statement (PDF, DE)The Catholic workplace chaplaincy in the Archdiocese of Bamberg fundamentally expresses solidarity with the works council member Isabella Paape, who was dismissed without notice at Siemens Energy in Erlangen. According to the employee pastoral services, the termination without a stated reason just a few months before the works council elections appears to be a deliberate obstruction of workplace co-determination.
View statement (PDF, DE)The Catholic workplace chaplaincy in the Archdiocese of Bamberg stands for the dignity and appreciation of people in working life. It therefore expresses solidarity with colleagues who are committed to workplace co-determination – explicitly including Isabella Paape, the works council member at Siemens Energy Erlangen who was summarily dismissed.
The statement stresses that even in conflicts, rules and laws must be respected and fairness on both sides must prevail. In this case, however, the chaplaincy sees fairness as no longer ensured: dismissing a works council member without stating reasons only months before the upcoming works council elections appears, in their assessment, like a deliberate obstruction of co-determination work.
Regardless of the legal outcome, the chaplaincy argues that a company’s social and ethical responsibility is shown by whether it respects co-determination rights even in conflict situations and maintains a respectful culture. Disregarding fairness and social responsibility sends a negative signal affecting the dignity and value of all employees.
IG Metall Erlangen expresses its solidarity with IG Metall members and all employees at Siemens Energy Erlangen who are committed to strong and effective workplace co-determination.
Democratically elected employee representatives must be able to carry out their duties free from pressure, interference or obstruction. Co-determination is an indispensable pillar of a functioning world of work and has been hard-won by trade unions.
With regard to the summary dismissal of works council member Isabella Paape, which is currently subject to legal clarification, IG Metall raises serious concerns as to whether key co-determination procedures were properly observed. Although Isabella Paape was not elected on an IG Metall list, she is an IG Metall member and receives legal protection and support.
IG Metall strongly calls on all parties involved to comply with legal requirements, respect co-determination rights and ensure a proper and respectful treatment of employee representatives.
Regardless of past differences of opinion, IG Metall reaffirms its core mission: protecting co-determination, strengthening democratic structures in the workplace and defending the rights of employees at Siemens Energy Erlangen.
Solidarity address:
Nick Heindl, First Authorized Representative, IG Metall Erlangen
nick.heindl@igmetall.de
In a public statement, Member of the German Bundestag Evelyn Schötz describes the dismissal of Siemens Energy works council member Isabella (“Isa”) Paape as an attack on workplace co-determination and democratic principles at work.
She underlines the importance of elected employee representation for fair labour relations and calls for strong protection of co-determination rights, as well as transparent clarification in line with the rule of law.
The regional organisation of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) in Middle Franconia expresses its solidarity with IG Metall members and all employees at Siemens Energy Erlangen who are fighting for strong and effective workplace co-determination.
In its statement, the DGB emphasises that democratically elected works councils must be able to perform their duties free from pressure, obstruction or undue influence. The summary dismissal of works council member Isabella Paape raises serious questions, not least because important co-determination procedures might not have been followed correctly.
The DGB demands the immediate withdrawal of the dismissal, full respect for legal requirements and a fair, appreciative treatment of all elected representatives at Siemens Energy Erlangen.
The original German statement can be downloaded here: DGB solidarity statement (PDF, German)
The teachers’ union GEW in Erlangen strongly condemns the summary dismissal of Siemens works council member Isa Paape. In its statement, GEW describes Isa as a committed works council member and trade union activist and criticises the lack of a transparent, comprehensible justification for the dismissal.
GEW views the company’s actions as an attack on the majority of employees who depend on selling their labour for a living, as well as an attack on workplace co-determination and the fundamental right to organise in trade unions and to defend common interests collectively.
The statement warns that dismissing a works council member without clear and transparent justification is legally highly problematic and could set a dangerous precedent if tolerated by the courts. It could make it much easier to push “inconvenient” works council members out of office for months or prevent their re-election.
GEW therefore calls on all colleagues and the wider public to stand visibly with Isa Paape and to support the ongoing petition demanding the withdrawal of the dismissal and safeguarding her right to stand for re-election:
Petition “Betriebsrätin Isabella Paape – Kündigung zurücknehmen, Kandidatur ermöglichen” (DE)
The full German text is available on the GEW Bavaria website: GEW Bavaria – detailed statement (German)