PRESS RELEASE IG Metall’s Nationwide Automotive Day of Action

Frankfurt am Main – On September 21, IG Metall will organize all-day, nationwide actions and protests at German automotive sites. The attack on jobs at German automotive sites that we are witnessing today is unprecedented. Tens of thousands of workers at suppliers, development service providers, and manufacturers have already lost their jobs. Tens of thousands more fear for their jobs, and entire regions in Germany fear for their prosperity. The German automotive industry is facing total collapse. Not like this! Enough is enough! Our colleagues—metalworkers—are fighting back!

The crisis in the German automotive industry is largely self-inflicted, because the executive boards of automotive companies have made a series of wrong decisions: small, affordable models were introduced too late. They missed the boat on key developments in digitalization and battery technology. Investments in future technologies and production sites were neglected. Added to this are external factors: far fewer vehicles are being sold to China, Trump has imposed tariffs, and more Chinese vehicles are being purchased in Germany and Europe.

Employees bear no responsibility for these developments, yet they are now expected to bear the consequences. They must not suffer because the focus was always solely on returns rather than on investments in the future. We demand: There must be investments in sustainable products, training, and secure production sites—not just short-term cost-cutting.

We look forward to welcoming you to the actions taking place nationwide.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have, but please note that we will not publish detailed plans until shortly before September 21.