VW Plant in Zwickau: Union Insists on Collective Bargaining Autonomy

The plans of Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) to save the VW plant in Zwickau are gaining traction. IG Metall generally welcomed Kretschmer’s commitment. At the same time, it rejected any political interference in collective bargaining autonomy. “IG Metall supports anything that secures good jobs for workers in Zwickau, Chemnitz, and Dresden and provides them with long-term prospects at their home locations,” said Jan Otto, the regional director responsible for Berlin, Brandenburg, and Saxony.

Kretschmer Sees Lowering Production Costs as an Opportunity

On Wednesday, Kretschmer proposed establishing a new company—AutoUnion Sachsen GmbH, with VW and partners as shareholders—to preserve Volkswagen’s presence in Zwickau. To this end, he also brought up the idea of a new work schedule model or lower pay. However, he noted that this would have to be negotiated by the collective bargaining partners.

According to Kretschmer, the goal is to lower production costs and thereby regain competitiveness. VW had announced global job cuts due to overcapacity; production in Zwickau is scheduled to wind down in 2031.

IG Metall rejects longer working hours and lower wages

“It is good and important that the Saxon state government is actively involved in efforts to secure jobs at the VW plants. IG Metall is open to any discussions that serve this goal. Above all, the focus must be on improving capacity utilization at the sites,” Otto emphasized.

Longer working hours and “wage suppression” are entirely the wrong tools for this purpose. They would not solve any problems but would instead meet with decisive resistance from employees, works councils, and IG Metall. Any interference with collective bargaining autonomy is firmly rejected.