Berlin – Herbert Diess came after all. The Volkswagen boss actually didn’t want to be in Wolfsburg on Thursday. A business trip to the USA was planned. Business was also about in Wolfsburg – albeit differently than Diess would have liked. The works council had rounded up the workforce at the main plant. At these events in front of thousands of workers, things can get busy, the factory hall then becomes a cauldron. And Diess faced the debate. No question about it: there is a lot of rumbling in the Volkswagen empire. The relationship between the self-confident CEO and the powerful employee representatives is, to put it mildly, strained.
Volkswagen: will the group make the leap into the electric age?
In essence, the question is how quickly Volkswagen, one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, can transform itself into electromobility – and what that may cost, especially in terms of workplaces. It’s no secret that an electric car is less complex than a combustion engine. And so that fewer personnel are required for construction.
The restructuring of the Volkswagen Group is a matter of concern for Herbert Diess. One that can’t go fast enough. Diess takes no account of IG Metall. In mid-October, supposed business games caused a stir, according to which 30,000 jobs in Germany could be lost. The company hastily distanced itself. But since then there has been fear in Wolfsburg.
Volkswagen: Works councilor attacks CEO Diess
“Stop speculating about job cuts and work with us to find solutions,” said works council chairman Daniela Cavallo against Diess on Thursday. But the CEO stuck to his hard line. Volkswagen has to become leaner. It was an uncomfortable, rainy day in Wolfsburg.
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