Leaders of Germany’s largest labor union, IG Metall, threatened strikes and warned Volkswagen it was about to make a “historic mistake” as the two sides began pay talks that will likely determine how aggressively the biggest carmaker pursues of Europe the layoffs and the closing of factories in the country.
Tensions at the car giant are in the red as the scenario of factory closures – which if they do happen will be the company’s first in Germany – has put it on a collision course with the IG Metall union, which has vowed to fight back. in such movements.
IG Metall must also negotiate new collective agreements for the 130,000 VW brand workers in Germany, after the group scrapped contracts that had secured employment at six of its plants in western Germany since the mid-1990s.
Workers’ representatives have vowed to put up tough resistance against the job cuts, blaming top management and faltering government support for Volkswagen’s woes.
IG Metall threatened strikes, which are possible from early December, and insisted on a 7% wage increase.
A good shepherd takes care of his sheep and keeps them together. The Volkswagen herder threatens to rip the skin off their bodies and then throw them out into a hurricane,
Thorsten Groeger, IG Metall’s chief negotiator with Volkswagen, told workers outside the talks site in Hanover.
Works council chief Daniela Cavallo took a look back at Volkswagen’s 87-year history, citing the expropriation of union funds during the Third Reich.
At an average interest rate, this capital, stolen by the Nazis from the labor movement at the time, would have yielded billions of euros over the decades. This money, our money, is in the Volkswagen Group today,
he said, stressing a willingness to compromise, but added that it was now up to the administration to find a solution.
Some workers held signs that read:
Lack of skilled workers in management – ​​we are looking for specialists.
Volkswagen argues that high energy and labor costs in Germany, Europe’s top economy, put it at a disadvantage against its European rivals as well as Chinese automakers that have targeted a large slice of Europe’s electric vehicle market.
Source: www.autoblog.gr
