Europe21 September, 20262 min read
IG Metall Leads Nationwide Protests As Volkswagen Plans 100,000 Job Cuts
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Tens of thousands protest nationwide over factory cuts and jobs in auto sector. Demonstrations at more than 280 sites targeting VW, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, suppliers.
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Protests over job cuts
German auto workers staged nationwide protests on Monday as the IG Metall union said demonstrations would take place at over 280 sites across Germany to defend jobs and factories. IG Metall leader and VW supervisory board member Christiane Benner said at VW's iconic Wolfsburg plant, the largest in the world by floor area, that "Things have really hit the fan."
Benner said "Companies like VW, BMW, Audi, Bosch, Mercedes and Porsche were synonymous with fantastic cars and high quality," and she warned that "Now, management is driving the industry at full throttle into a brick wall." Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 jobs by the end of the decade, and the protests also targeted Mercedes-Benz and BMW as the industry faced weak domestic demand, rising Chinese competition, and U.S. tariffs.
Demands on energy and policy
Christiane Benner called on the government to make energy cheaper, provide financial help for suppliers that need to retool factories, and promote domestic production with "Made in EU" rules. Benner said, "Colleagues in these tumultuous times need to be able to count on the protection of comprehensive welfare and industrial policy," as workers demanded action beyond pay negotiations.
Daniela Cavallo, the head of VW's works council, told colleagues that "Europe's automotive industry will be remade," and she said "Long-established carmakers will fall by the wayside." Wolfgang Schroeder, a political scientist at the University of Kassel who studies labour relations, told AFP that the protests reflected "real fear over the future of the industry."
What is at stake next
German carmakers faced restructuring pressure as Volkswagen carried out a major restructuring program expected to affect around 100,000 jobs worldwide, while several German plants faced an uncertain future. DW said Volkswagen was looking to cut about 15% of its workforce worldwide, or 100,000 jobs, by the end of the decade, and BMW announced it would cut up to 8,000 jobs by the end of 2027.
Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Bochum, told DW that "We project that by around 2030, it will be 500,000," referring to employment in the industry. IG Metall opposed proposals to extend working hours, and Christiane Benner said workers had accepted wage cuts and other concessions worth several billion euros, yet were now being told that this was still not enough.