Posted on 12/02/2024 12:06:20 PM PST by DFG
Workers at Volkswagen factories across Germany have begun strikes after the manufacturer threatened to close plants amid falling demand and a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles.
Workers on their morning shifts went on strike for two hours, while those on the evening shift plan to leave work early in protest at the carmaker's demands, which include a 10% wage cut.
At Volkswagen's main plant in Wolfsburg, which employs 70,000 people, a two-hour strike means several hundred cars cannot be built, union sources said.
In addition to Wolfsburg and Hanover, which employs a further 14,000 staff, plants affected include Zwickau, VW's EV-only plant, where workers will strike today and tomorrow.
It is the first time the company has threatened to close factories in Germany in its 87-year history as European manufacturers battle foreign competition, high production costs and slow uptake of electric vehicles on the continent.
Sales of VW cars have plummeted in Europe as demand stalls and consumers return to petrol. Globally, sales in the first three months of the year dropped by three per cent as the sales of petrol motors rose by four per cent.
The industry has argued consumer appetite for electric vehicles is still too low.
Stellantis – which owns Vauxhall – earlier this week blamed the mandate as it announced plans to close its van factory in Luton, putting 1,100 jobs at risk. Chief Executive Carlos Tavares resigned abruptly on Sunday after the group lost around 40% of its value this year.
The boss of Ford's UK arm warned late last month that Britain's car industry is in crisis due to the overwhelming lack of demand for electric cars.
Lisa Brankin, the chairman and managing director of Ford UK, called for the Government to urgently introduce ‘incentives’ in a bid to stoke interest.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Even though it’s happening now, soon the EU press will say it’s Trump’s fault.
I don’t think this is going to work out for them.
The ruling class in the West has lost the ‘Mandate of Heaven’ and must be kicked to the curb. Every noxious mandate from the scum ruling us must be resisted to the point of revolution.
“high production costs” mostly means soaring energy costs due to Germany’s extreme net zero stupidity. But the media refuse to name the name of the problem.
YOU VILL MAKE ZE BUGS!!!!!......................
They’re closing down an electric bike factory because they’re too expensive.
Those Turkish laborers we imported to do all the grunt work will bail us out!
amid falling demand and a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha............
Think about that sentence for a minute.
farfromgroovin...
Germany’s economy is a crap show and may drag the EU into a recession.
Nicely played!
I have a VW. The electronics are horrible. Car generally sucks.
Here comes the flood of EVs from you-know-where.
Germany is having trouble
What a sad sad story
Think about that sentence for a minute.
I think of this....
The Beatings will continue until Morale is improved.
You will have nothing, but you will be happy -or else!
It reminds me of when films went from silent to talkies a hundred years ago, and in Japan the unionized film-narrators who worked in theaters explaining the films to the audience went on strike, and said they wouldn’t return until films became silent again. They still haven’t returned.
Wow! Guess they better learn to write code?
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