Press Release No. 42/2014 IG Metall and Works Councils Call for an Action Plan on Battery Production in Germany

Frankfurt am Main – According to IG Metall, Daimler AG’s planned closure of battery cell production at its subsidiary Li-Tec in Kamenz is a warning sign that calls for immediate action. “To safeguard innovation and battery cell production in Germany, a coordinated action plan by the federal government and industry is necessary,” demanded Jörg Hofmann, second chair of IG Metall, on Monday in Frankfurt. Following plasma screens and solar cells, the move away from battery cell technology now threatens another loss of innovation leadership in a key technology vital to German industry.

Daimler is the only German manufacturer that produces battery cells for electric cars domestically. Daimler justifies the closure of production by citing insufficient volumes for its own needs to continue producing efficiently. “This affects the future interests of Germany’s leading industries—automotive and mechanical engineering,” the union leader warned. Hofmann therefore called on German automakers and suppliers to take coordinated action. “IG Metall expects the federal government to support such action and to link public research funding even more strictly to the production of future technologies in Germany,” Hofmann said.

Michael Brecht, chairman of the General Works Council at Daimler AG, has called on the company to offer prospects to the affected employees in Kamenz. “The company has a responsibility to offer employees secure and sustainable jobs in Kamenz. Therefore, on the one hand, we must not lose touch with ongoing research and development of battery cells. On the other hand, the conditions must be created to ensure that future technologies can continue to be produced economically in this country. This requires a resolute industrial policy from the federal government to support this effort. We on the works council fear that, otherwise, innovations will still be developed in Germany but produced in ever-decreasing quantities. To secure jobs, however, we also—and especially—need the production of future technologies,” said Brecht.