Next German government needs “realistic plan” for workers and regions if it seeks coal exit – union head

Should the next German government decide to seek a coal exit, it must also care for the workers' and mining regions’ future, said Michael Vassiliadis, head of Germany’s largest mining trade union IG BCE and one of Germany's most prominent opponents of a coal exit, in an interview with the Handelsblatt. “If Jamaica [a coalition between the Christian Democratic Party/Christian Social Union, Free Democrats and Greens] is to become the shut-down-coalition for coal, then the coalition parties will have to present a realistic plan on what will happen to the employees and the regions,” said Vassiliadis.

Read the interview (behind paywall) in German here.

For more information, see the CLEW factsheets When will Germany finally ditch coal?, Climate & energy stumbling blocks for Jamaica-coalition talks and the CLEW article Coalition watch – The road to a new German government.