31 October, 2024On 30 October, Volkswagen workers issued a bold warning: they will strike unless the automaker rules out plant closures in its restructuring plan. The company and IG Metall, an IndustriALL affiliate, are locked in a heated dispute over wages and potential factory shutdowns.
In the latest round of talks, VW presented a toxic list of plans for cuts. As negotiations continue, the two sides are setting up technical commissions to analyze pay, training, and temporary work before the next round of talks on 21 November.
IG Metall has accused VW management of reckless decision-making, threatening to dismantle long-standing agreements on job security. VW’s plans to shut down three German plants, an unprecedented move in the company’s 87-year history, is at the heart of the dispute.
Additionally, the automaker proposes mass layoffs, a 10 per cent wage cut for remaining employees, the abolition of a €167 (US$181) monthly bonus, slashing training places from 1,400 to 600, and withholding milestone bonuses for long-serving workers.
“Volkswagen has opened Pandora’s box by ending job security agreements, and it’s up to them to restore trust,”
said IG Metall negotiator Thorsten Groeger.
Georg Leutert, IndustriALL’s automotive sector director, stated:
“We stand in solidarity with VW workers. The company must negotiate in good faith to protect the workforce that drives their profits.”
VW employs 120,000 people in Germany, where it operates 10 plants. While unions cannot initiate broader strikes until December due to a truce, labour leaders are clear: workers will take all necessary action to prevent what they see as a breaking of trust and tradition.
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