Workers in Germany's steel and electrical industries, including employees of automakers Volkswagen (VW) and BMW, have begun the first wave of protests.
The IG Metall trade union, which represents workers' interests, has called for protests. According to him, around 200 employees of battery manufacturer Clarios are on strike in Hanover (Federal State of Lower Saxony). They rallied with torches and union flags. 250 Volkswagen employees are on strike in Osnabrück (Lower Saxony). The plant, which employs around 2,500 people and is under threat of closure, is not covered by VW's collective bargaining agreement, which retains the obligation to maintain order until the end of November.
In Regensburg (federal state of Bavaria) posters were put up in front of the BMW plant. During the day, a similar action should be held at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt (Bavaria). In Hildesheim (Lower Saxony), approximately 400 employees, including those at Jensen GmbH, KSM Castings Group, Robert Bosch, Waggonbau Graaff and ZF CV Systems Hannover, have stopped working.
On Monday, the DPA agency, citing Daniela Cavallo, head of Volkswagen's works council, reported that the concern plans to close three factories in Germany and cut tens of thousands of jobs. The Osnabrück plant, which recently lost a long-awaited additional order from Porsche, is at particular risk. Whole departments have to be closed or moved abroad. These plans, according to Cavallo, affect all Volkswagen plants in Germany.
The Volkswagen concern itself noted that restructuring is the only way to remain competitive in the long term. The German government, as its representative Wolfgang Büchner said, believes that the company should keep the jobs. In the current round of collective bargaining, the IG Metall union is demanding a 7% wage increase and a €170 increase for trainees. He explains this with high inflation and the need to stimulate private consumption.
In Germany, about 120,000 people work in VW factories, about half of them in Wolfsburg. The VW brand operates a total of 10 factories in Germany.