VW employees demand seven percent pay increase

The German car industry is in a veritable crisis, especially Europe’s number one Volkswagen As reported, a big savings package and Plant closures and Staff reductions In the midst of these turbulent times, yesterday, Wednesday, the company and the union negotiations about a new collective agreement for the 120,000 German employees, Several thousand employees protested against the austerity plans in front of the negotiating building in Hanover with drums, sirens and whistles, Bengal flares enveloped the square in red smoke.

The start of the negotiations, originally planned for the end of October, was brought forward after VW tightened its austerity measures at the beginning of the month. Instead of just wages, the talks will also focus on the terminated job security be negotiated.

IG Metall called on VW to first put concrete savings plans on the table so that negotiations could begin. So far, there have been no details other than the termination of several collective agreements. This is “adding more fuel to the fire” for VW, criticised Thorsten Gröger, Lower Saxony’s district manager of the IG Metall union. Instead, they need “a viable Future concept for all locations. “We will not discuss plant closures and mass layoffs.”

In the wage negotiations that are also taking place, IG Metall is demanding for the industry and also at VW seven percent more wages. There will be no compromises for VW here either. “Of course, we currently have serious problems in terms of profitability,” said works council chairwoman Daniela Cavallo. However, VW has recently “not no bad winning numbers“ and high dividends distributed to its shareholders, which shows that there is room for maneuver.

Heating up properly

From December onwards, after the end of the Duty of peace (Negotiators refrain from taking industrial action for a certain period of time, note) There will be strikes. “Winter is coming – and if necessary we will really give the board a hard time,” said union leader Gröger. The conflict has only just begun. “If necessary, tens of thousands of people will be standing in front of the factory gates and on the streets.”

CEO Oliver Blume, however, is pushing for Concessions IG Metall: “I expect there to be significant movement to make progress on the cost side. We will fight for every job. But the basis for this is that we significantly reduce costs across all areas.” The aim is to until the end of the year to reach an agreement.