Frankfurt am Main/Stuttgart – Through nationwide actions at all Mercedes-Benz locations on Friday, over 33,000 workers, together with IG Metall, sent a clear message: they oppose an unpaid increase in working hours to 40 hours, cuts to collectively bargained benefits, excessive dividends, and the company’s cost-cutting measures at the expense of the workforce. With this, IG Metall launched a wave of protests calling for better prospects instead of cuts: In the coming weeks, the union plans similar protests at other automakers and suppliers as well.
Under the slogan “Enough is enough! Secure our plants, defend collective bargaining standards!” Mercedes-Benz workers gathered in front of the factory gates in the morning and at noon. Together with the works council, IG Metall demanded that the company and the governing coalition guarantee secure jobs, a promising future for the plants, and the preservation of collective bargaining rights and social security. This stems from misguided priorities and plans by Mercedes-Benz’s corporate leadership. While the executive board discusses a “productivity offensive” involving cuts to working hours and benefits, employees are growing increasingly concerned about the German locations, their incomes, and their future prospects.
Christiane Benner, President of IG Metall, said in Düsseldorf: “Hello, management: That’s not how it works! While shareholders are reaping more than fair profits, are employees supposed to sacrifice their contractually guaranteed rights? Certainly not! That’s how you squander the future and trust! Anyone who wants to talk seriously about competitiveness must not start with working conditions. The key to a strong automotive industry lies in investing in future-proof products, locations, and employees. We also demand a clear signal from policymakers: The industrial core of this country must not be hollowed out. We need an active industrial policy that safeguards the transformation—with investments, clear commitments to locations, and good jobs. Profit interests must not be prioritized over the long-term viability of entire locations.”
Barbara Resch, head of the IG Metall Baden-Württemberg district, warned in Rastatt: “Mercedes is currently demonstrating in no uncertain terms how not to do it. Anyone who believes that the future of the industry can be secured through longer working hours, cuts to special payments, and pressure on workers is sorely mistaken! The 35-hour workweek is not obsolete, good collective bargaining agreements are not a competitive disadvantage, and employees are not mere resources to be disposed of at will. Mercedes employees have long made the initial investment in securing the future through collective bargaining—now management must deliver. That is why our colleagues are taking a stand today in Untertürkheim, Rastatt, and Sindelfingen, among other places, and are making it clear with this day of action: We will not let our standards be eroded by cost-cutting!”
Ergun Lümali, Chairman of the Mercedes-Benz General Works Council, said in Sindelfingen: “The company’s actions are causing massive uncertainty and demotivating many colleagues. Instead of creating prospects for locations and employment, pressure is being ramped up. We’re currently facing one challenge after another: discussions about extended unpaid work hours, cuts to collectively bargained benefits, the relocation of products and functions, and attacks on existing work models. We bear no responsibility for geopolitical crises, energy prices, or strategic missteps by management. Nevertheless, employees are once again expected to shoulder the brunt of the burden—this is unacceptable. The future is not built through cost-cutting programs at the expense of the workforce. Anyone who wants to ensure competitiveness must invest in strong products, modern technologies, and German locations. The future is built through innovation, smart strategy, and the involvement of employees. That is exactly what we demand from the Executive Board.”
Among other events, rallies were held with participants from Mercedes-Benz plants and subsidiaries in Stuttgart (headquarters), Untertürkheim, Sindelfingen, Bremen, Rastatt, Kuppenheim, Berlin/Marienfelde, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Germersheim.
According to IG Metall, further employee actions are planned at the Volkswagen Group.
