VW workers protest cost-cutting plans at Baunatal plant as union warns of 'clear-cutting' in Germany
Thousands of VW employees rallied at the Kassel-Baunatal plant on Thursday, demanding a coherent future strategy instead of new austerity measures that could see up to 100,000 job cuts globally and the closure of four German factories.
Protest at Germany's largest VW components plant
Around 200 union representatives, works council members and employees gathered outside the VW plant in Kassel-Baunatal on Thursday, responding to reports of deepened cost-cutting plans by the Volkswagen board. The IG Metall union had called for a nationwide day of action at all VW locations, describing the events as informational and protest gatherings rather than a labour dispute.
The mood in the plant is very tense. Many are worried and are now angry at this management, at this board, because there is no proper information.
The Baunatal site, with about 15,000 employees, is the largest components plant in the Volkswagen Group worldwide and produces large parts of the electric powertrain.
Union demands a future strategy, not austerity
Works council chairman Carsten Büchling told the crowd that the board's communication had been a disaster and that sites were once again being played off against each other. He called for solidarity and a united fight for the future.
We expect a coherent future strategy from the group board instead of a savings programme. And we also expect that this future strategy is explained first and foremost to us as those affected and to the workforces, and not just everything being leaked through the media again and then not denied, not confirmed.
IG Metall Nordhessen's second authorised representative, Dennis Schindehütte, demanded an end to what he called clear-cutting in Germany, urging long-term thinking over short-term profit.
We demand respect for our work. We demand respect for the employees. We demand respect for the families whose future depends on these jobs here.
Job cuts and plant closures on the table
Recent media reports, cited by the union, suggest VW intends to significantly tighten its austerity drive. According to Manager Magazin, up to 100,000 jobs could be cut worldwide, double the previously planned figure. Four German plants are reportedly threatened with closure: Hannover, Emden, Zwickau and Neckarsulm.
Spinoff fears add to uncertainty
Büchling also highlighted reports that the VW board may be planning to spin off the group's components subsidiary into a separate company, a move that would directly affect the Baunatal plant. He warned that such a step would weaken the workforce's ability to assert its interests and could lead to a drastic reduction in jobs at the site.
