IG Metall calls nationwide protests over auto industry cuts

IG Metall has called for protests at more than 200 locations across Germany on Monday as the automotive industry faces a deepening crisis, BR reported. The union expects more than 100,000 participants and says the actions will support secure jobs, viable production sites and a strong industrial base.

Under the slogan “The future instead of sweeping cuts: solidarity is our strongest brand,” employees at manufacturers and suppliers are expected to hold works meetings, lunchtime actions, marches and public rallies.

The largest rally at an automotive supplier in Bavaria is planned at the Bosch plant in Nuremberg. A works meeting outdoors is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by a rally outside the factory gates. Employees from the Nuremberg Bosch plant and other companies, including MAN, are expected to attend. The union has warned of “massive job cuts” there.

Several actions are also planned in Upper Bavaria. At BMW in Munich, an opening rally is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the corner of Dostlerstrasse and Lerchenauer Strasse. It will be followed by a convoy around BMW headquarters and another rally at the Olympiapark car park.

In Ingolstadt, a works council consultation is planned outside the Audi factory gates at 1 p.m. In Schweinfurt, a rally will take place from noon outside the ZF South plant. In Aschaffenburg, IG Metall has called for a “courageous lunchtime break” at Joyson Safety Systems at 11.45 a.m.

In Swabia, IG Metall and works council representatives are due to meet at 8.30 a.m. at the gates of the Bosch plant in Seifen and unfurl a banner. The aim is to draw attention to the situation facing suppliers, said Jasmin Steinert, IG Metall’s representative for the Allgäu region.

IG Metall leader Christiane Benner said employees were suffering particularly heavily from the crisis in the automotive industry. “We are currently witnessing an unprecedented attack on employees in the automotive industry,” she said. Thousands of jobs have already been lost, and the union is warning of further cuts. It rejects any extension or reduction of the collectively agreed 35-hour working week.

The union is also calling on companies to invest more in German production sites, including in battery manufacturing, autonomous driving and modern production facilities. It says more high-volume models are needed to improve factory utilisation.

Under the slogan “Invest in production sites instead of a windfall for shareholders,” IG Metall is also addressing demands to politicians. These include lower electricity costs, less bureaucracy, expanded tariffs on Chinese car imports and financial support for suppliers undergoing restructuring.

The union says the German automotive industry is under pressure from growing competition from China, US tariffs and comparatively low profit margins on electric cars.