24th Ordinary Trade Union Conference of the Construction-Agrar-Environment Industrial Union (IG BAU) 2026 against social cuts, the spiral of armaments and conscription

“Respect for our work! We get what we are entitled to" - this is the motto under which around 250 delegated members of IG BAU will meet in Kassel from September 27th to 30th. As a union, we know: higher wages, 8-hour days, continued payment of wages in the event of illness - none of this was given to us for free. Employees have fought for every improvement. Even now, when social achievements and employee rights are suddenly up for debate again, we are not giving up!...”Special page of IG BAU with all the information about the union day and here the most important resolutions:

• IG Bau: “Disarmament must be back on the political agenda” Union calls for a clear rejection of the arms race and compulsory military service – greater control of the arms industry
  "The world is becoming more uncertain - but the answer to this must not be more and more rearmament. At the 24th Ordinary Trade Union Congress of the Construction-Agrar-Environment Industrial Union (IG BAU) in Kassel, a large majority of delegates are calling for a clear political turnaround: peace, disarmament and diplomacy instead of an ever faster spiral of rearmament. "We don't want a society that is preparing for war, but a society that makes peace possible. More weapons and ever-increasing arms spending are not “Security must serve people – and not the profits of the arms industry,” is the tenor. In the future, IG BAU wants to increase its commitment to peace, disarmament and international cooperation. (…) IG BAU also says a clear “no” to compulsory military service. Especially in view of the shortage of skilled workers, the young generation should not be required to serve with weapons. Anyone who wants to do military service must be able to do so voluntarily. The union is also critical of the planned stationing of extensive US weapons systems in Germany. She calls for a social debate about the consequences of a policy that could increasingly make Germany the scene of military escalation. IG BAU is also calling for a change of course when it comes to defense spending: it is not rigid percentage targets or the interests of defense companies that should decide on the scope and equipment, but rather the actual mission to defend the country. Procurement and armaments policy must be subject to the primacy of politics and democratic control."We do not accept that there is supposedly no money for more and more weapons, while savings are being made on social tasks, education, affordable housing and the future of our society. Security is more than military strength. Security also means social security, good work, democracy and a life in peace." IG BAU therefore calls for a policy that strengthens the ability to make peace, puts disarmament back on the international agenda and strictly limits arms spending to the necessary defense capabilities. Excess profits from the defense industry should also be subject to a tax.” Press statement from IG Bau dated September 30, 2026 
• “Welfare state must not become a private matter”: Union calls for citizens’ insurance, poverty-proof benefits and more protection for employees
  Press release from September 30, 2026 
• Keynote speech by the new IG BAU federal chairman at the union conference in Kassel: Carsten Burckhardt announces resistance to social cuts
  Press release from September 29, 2026

See previously:

• BAU youth conference in Hamburg 2025: Building trade union youth at the grassroots level!
• Dossier:23rd Ordinary Trade Union Day of IG BAU from September 26th to 29th, 2022

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