The VW main plant in Wolfsburg is underutilized. CEO Diess initially did not want to take part in a works meeting. The works council’s protest is sharp – and Diess reacts.
After clear criticism from the works council, Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess will take part in the works meeting in Wolfsburg at the beginning of November.
A trip to the USA that was actually planned for next week has been canceled, as a company spokesman confirmed on Wednesday upon request. The new works council chairman Daniela Cavallo had previously publicly criticized the CEO’s absence from the company meeting.
In the employee portal, Diess emphasized, according to the company, that the dialogue with employees is “very important to him, as there are huge tasks ahead of us, especially at our headquarters in Wolfsburg”. In order to physically take part in the works meeting, he postponed “the important journey” in the US core market. He will make up for the planned dialogue format later, Diess added.
Cavallo had criticized in a statement on Tuesday evening: “Herbert Diess prefers investors on Wall Street to its own workforce.” This behavior is unprecedented in the history of the group and shows that Diess has neither empathy nor feeling for the situation of the workforce even in this crisis. «This provocation shows us that Dr. Diess still has no interest in constructive cooperation. “
Instead, the board of directors pushes a dialogue event “according to its own script” into its calendar. Cavallo had also asked Diess to send the CFO Arno Antlitz to the investors in the USA if necessary and to answer questions from the workforce.
The works council in Wolfsburg is alarmed because the VW main plant is underutilized. There could be as little production here in 2021 as it was last in the late 1950s. The workforce representatives have long been asking for another electric model in addition to the “Trinity” project, which is due to come from 2026 – later than initially planned.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
