On March 16 ThyssenKrupp AG, the ThyssenKrupp Group Works Council, the German metalworkers union IG Metall, and the union federation IndustriALL Global Union entered into an International Framework Agreement (IFA) on global minimum labor standards in the ThyssenKrupp Group. "It goes without saying that as a good employer we comply with prevailing rules and laws. But the standards contained in the agreement are wider in scope, reflect in concrete terms our mission statement and are an expression of ThyssenKrupp’s social responsibility" said Oliver Burkhard, CHRO of ThyssenKrupp AG. As well as recognizing the ILO's Core Labor Standards and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the IFA incorporates principles on good health and safety practices, career and personal development opportunities, the right to fair pay, and the prohibition of child and forced labor and all forms of discrimination.

To ensure that the principles are implemented as widely as possible, the company has agreed a point of contact for reporting suspected infringements and set up an international committee with representatives from the Group Works Council, the European Works Council and the union whose job is to intervene and develop solutions in the event of infringements or disputes.