The German trade union IG Mettal, one of the largest in the country, denounces that the company plans to move part of its activities to the US
The American giant Ford is considering laying off 3,200 workers in Europe, the German trade union IGMetall, one of the country’s most important, reported yesterday. According to statements collected by the Reuters agency, these quarters would be shared between about 2,500 people from the product development department and another 700 employees from administrative functions.
The company’s plan, always according to the German union – which has threatened to launch initiatives to ensure the future of potentially affected workers – would go ahead by bringing some of this product development work to the US. «If the negotiations between the works council and the management in the coming weeks do not guarantee the future of the employees (…) we will not stop the measures that could seriously affect the company, not only in Germany, but throughout Europe ” noted IG Metall.
The American manufacturer does not give more details in this regard and refers to a statement last Friday in which it ensured that the transition to electric vehicle production required structural changes. Last year, the company announced an investment of USD 2,000 million (approximately EUR 1,840 million) to expand production at its plant in Cologne (Germany) and produce a fully electric model. This plant currently produces the Ford Fiesta, as well as engines and transmissions.
However, in June it warned of the possibility of “significant” job losses in the near term at its plant in Saarlouis (Germany) and also at Almussafes in Valencia, which currently employs about 6,000 workers, in order to adapt both plants to the arrival of the electric vehicles. For now, the company has avoided factory outings. And the factory union UGT-PV already trusted last week that negotiations over the surplus workforce would end with a voluntary severance pact without “traumatic layoffs”.
As for the situation of Saarlouis, which competed with the Spanish factory for the new platform and which will stop production of the Focus model from 2025, the company assured that “new opportunities” were being sought for the installation. However, no concrete future plan for the factory has yet been worked out.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
