IG Metall plans to mount strong resistance against the threatened closure of the VW plant in Zwickau. “This week’s protests were just the beginning if management in Wolfsburg really intends to shut down the plant in Zwickau,” said IG Metall district director Jan Otto. He added that they would defend every location together with the workforce. In addition to Zwickau, VW has a presence in the Free State of Saxony with its engine plant in Chemnitz and the Transparent Factory in Dresden.
IG Metall: Zwickau Must Remain an Automotive Hub
Thomas Knabel of IG Metall Zwickau also addressed speculation that Zwickau could become part of a joint venture with a Chinese partner or be taken over entirely by a Chinese company. He sees this primarily as a media discussion. He has not yet encountered anyone within the VW Group who was willing to discuss these issues with IG Metall. The workers in Zwickau are automakers, and Zwickau must remain an automotive hub in the future. Knabel called on VW Group CEO Oliver Blume to come to Zwickau in person and explain the plan.
Union Wants to Be Open to Smart Solutions
Otto, IG Metall’s regional director for Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony, assured that the union is open to smart solutions. “VW must stay in Zwickau. All we’re hearing from the executive board in Wolfsburg is nothing but a declaration of war by highly paid managers against their employees. IG Metall stands ready to lead this conflict together with the workforce and their works councils. Our colleagues in Zwickau and their families will not simply let themselves be written off and struck from the corporate balance sheet like a number.”
