During a meeting in the headquarters of car manufacturer Volkswagen, VW has required works Council chief Bernd Osterloh for the core brand of the group, a guarantee of employment until the end of 2028 and clear against the planned removal of 7,000 Jobs. The number lacks any basis, said Osterloh in front of around 20,000 employees, and urged the Management to take responsibility for “the WLTP Disaster, a high-risk purchasing strategy, significant delays in key vehicle projects, and broken Promises”.
Osterloh pointed to the “ability to mobilize” the IG Metall and a “very tense atmosphere” of the workforce. “Before all of these questions are not answered and with clear agreements, how we fix these errors, here are no calls to further efficiency gains,” said the trade unionists with a view to the plans of the Executive management. This was announced to be deleted in the next five years, thousands of jobs.
“We can’t hide”
The company’s own data that by 2023 “through the automation of routine” about 5,000 to 7,000 jobs disappear, especially by age part-time. Osterloh showed a willingness to compromise – but only on the condition that it is open to all employees. “If you mean seriously, we let the colleagues in the production after a hard working life in three-shift operation for longer stay on Board as other groups of Employees, then you are dreaming,” he said in the direction of the group leaders, Herbert Diess.
This warned, for its part, a difficult year for the group and defended his austerity. “We can’t hide and hope that everything is back like it used to,” he told the gathered employees in hall 11, which had to be closed due to the violence. “We need to make our cars significantly more money to invest in the future. We need leaner, more agile, faster, to the pace of new competitors to keep up.”
VW-in-chief spoke of a difficult current year, the diesel crisis, Brexit, the trade dispute with the US and a weaker economy would offer difficult conditions for the “Tanker Volkswagen”. This must take a new course, to be the subjects of Autonomous Driving and electric mobility.
guarantee of Employment as a condition for tag
Diess appeared cooperative. You will work together with the works Council, in order to make the job cuts as socially acceptable. The transition to the production of E-cars will also cost jobs as digitization. “An E-car is made with about 30 percent less work than a nitro. It is hard to cope with staff turnover and retirement,” said the group’s boss.
so Far, guarantees until the end of 2025, the “future Pact” referred to the austerity package as well as a guarantee of employment until the end of 2028 for the plants in Emden and Hannover. Osterloh urged that this should apply to all German VW sites. “We want equal security for all Volkswagen employees,” he said at the meeting, and made this at the same time, a condition for the digital reconstruction of the company.
