The German union headquarters IG Metall today threatened a warning strike at Volkswagen’s German plants. The unionists are demanding clear information from management on possible plant closures and layoffs, which they call a historic mistake. Foreign media are reporting this today. The unions are in talks with management in Hanover over wages.
Negotiations and Expectations
“We expect answers today,” Thorsten Gröger, who is IG Metall’s district union leader and chief negotiator for Lower Saxony, said before the meeting began. At the same time, according to the website of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said that the diesel scandal, misjudgement and bad decisions were not the fault of the employees, but were the responsibility of top management.
“Of course we have serious problems at the moment in terms of profitability. But you don’t solve those by threatening to close the plant,” said the head of the company’s works council, Daniela Cavallo. “You can’t negotiate the equal importance of job security and profitability,” she added.
The Board’s Perspective
On the other hand, Arno Meiswinkel, the board member responsible for human resources, argued that the carmaker must cut costs to remain competitive. “Germany is lagging behind its competitors. Our core brand Volkswagen is particularly affected by this. International competition is threatening to overtake us,” he said. When Gröger mentioned Meiswinkel’s name in his speech, employees booed, Reuters reported.
Government Support
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck pledged during a visit to Volkswagen’s Emden plant last week to try to help the carmaker through a difficult period of cuts without having to close factories in Germany.
“The company is of key importance for Germany,” the minister stressed in Papenburg earlier. Habeck also hinted at the prospect of new subsidy measures for electric cars. Politicians could help with improving the framework and sending the right signals to the market, he said. The newspaper Manager Magazin reported that the Volkswagen Group could eliminate up to 30,000 jobs in Germany in the medium term.
Source: čtk
