Volkswagen crisis
IG Metall boss calls for wage cuts from VW management
Volkswagen wants to close plants, cut tens of thousands of jobs and implement wage cuts of ten percent. If the IG Metall boss has her way, the board should set a good example.
In view of the crisis at Volkswagen, IG Metall boss Christiane Benner has called on the car manufacturer’s board of directors to waive part of their wages. “What is missing are offers from management. If the board wants to implement wage cuts, then it could set a good example,” Benner told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
According to the IG Metall boss, she understands the anger of many employees when, on the one hand, anniversary bonuses are to be canceled, and on the other hand, CEO Oliver Blume is the highest-paid DAX manager.
IG Metall boss: Dividend policy must fit the overall situation
The decisive factor is whether there is a strategy for the future: “And developing this is a management task.” Securing employment is of little use if it is not stated how the plants will be utilized to capacity in the future and structural problems will be remedied. “Even if employees brought in ten percent of their pay, that would not be enough to cover the losses caused by poor management decisions in the past,” explained Benner. With regard to VW’s dividend policy, she warned that it had to fit the overall situation. Benner rejects a repayment of dividends from major shareholders: “I think it’s difficult both legally and morally. We need people who believe in a company and invest in it. I think that in good times money will flow back to these investors for legitimate.”
In September, Europe’s largest car manufacturer terminated the employment protection scheme that had been in place for more than 30 years and had previously excluded redundancies for operational reasons. The closure of entire plants is no longer ruled out. In the current collective bargaining agreement with IG Metall, VW is also demanding a flat-rate wage cut of ten percent.
Of the ten German VW plants, six are in Lower Saxony, including the main plant in Wolfsburg with more than 60,000 employees. The state of Lower Saxony holds 20 percent of the voting rights in VW and has a blocking minority against important decisions.
dpa
Source: Stern
