Germany: Automotive workers protest against restructuring plans

In Germany, anger is brewing in the automotive industry. The IG Metall union has called for a national day of action on Monday 21 September to protest against the restructuring plans announced in the sector, as the metal industry prepares to start major tariff negotiations.

According to the organisers, some 100,000 employees were called to mobilise across the country, with a particularly strong mobilisation in Baden-Württemberg, a region historically linked to the automotive industry and its subcontractors.

This mobilisation comes in a tense political and economic context for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose party has suffered electoral results that are considered disastrous in recent elections. Despite this setback, the Chancellor said he wanted to stay the course of the reforms undertaken to try to revive a German economy mired in stagnation.

The German automotive industry, a historic pillar of the country's economy, is going through a period of profound change, between the transition to electric vehicles, increased international competition and pressure on production costs. These restructuring plans, contested by employees, are part of this recomposition of the sector, with fears expressed by the unions about the future of employment and production sites.

IG Metall, which represents a large part of the metallurgy and automotive workers in Germany, has made the defence of jobs and industrial sites a central axis of its mobilisation, on the eve of tariff negotiations considered crucial for the continuation of social dialogue in the sector.