In view of the crisis in the industry, German Economics Minister Robert Habeck has scheduled an “auto summit” for next Monday. Habeck has invited the automotive industry to an exchange of views on the current situation, said a spokeswoman for the ministry. In addition to the industry association VDA and the union IG Metall, the largest automobile manufacturers and suppliers are taking part.
Habeck visited the VW plant in Emden on Friday. He announced new funding measures for electric cars.
The Volkswagen Group is struggling with high costs in its core brand VW Passenger Cars. The carmaker has terminated the job security agreement it has had with the trade unions in Germany for decades, and factory closures and redundancies are under discussion.
Volkswagen wants to significantly reduce its medium-term budget and, among other things, cut back more significantly in development than previously announced. The planned austerity measures in Germany could also affect up to 30,000 jobs, reported “Manager Magazine” on Thursday. That would be about a quarter of the workforce in Germany. The company itself did not confirm this.
A spokeswoman for the group said: “One thing is clear: Volkswagen must reduce its costs at its German locations.” This is the only way the brand can earn enough money for future investments. “How we can achieve this goal together with the employee representatives is part of the upcoming discussions,” she said.
