The complete breakup of the long-established Continental Group is imminent: The company now also plans to sell the industrial business of the ContiTech division by the end of 2026. ContiTech’s automotive business (OESL) is already up for sale. Subject to approval by the annual shareholders’ meeting on April 25, 2025, the automotive sector will go public as a spin-off in the fall. Continental AG would thus consist solely of the tire business in the future.
“The spin-off of ContiTech in these times of global economic uncertainty is socially irresponsible, economically reckless, and technologically nonsensical,” criticizes Francesco Grioli, a member of the IGBCE Executive Board and the Continental Supervisory Board. “This move would tear apart two business divisions that have formed the heart of this long-established corporation for decades and are closely intertwined, particularly at the beginning of the production chain. The shareholders are thus taking the break-up mania that has been rampant for years to the extreme. We are firmly opposed to this plan,” Grioli made clear. “It is unacceptable for the owners to approve higher dividends year after year while bleeding the company dry.”
Grioli called for long-term job and site security, as well as an investment push for ContiTech. This is currently guaranteed by a key points document that the company, IGBCE, and the Rubber General Works Council negotiated two years ago. It effectively rules out layoffs for operational reasons until the end of 2026. By then, at least 200 million euros are also to be invested in the German sites. This includes investments in, among other things, a production footprint that is sustainable in the long term, such as carbon-neutral and smart factories. At least 200 apprenticeship positions are to be made available annually. “Our employees—both in the factories and in administrative roles—are and will remain the key and decisive factor in successfully implementing these changes,” states the 2023 key points document.
“Without a significant expansion of these guarantees and reliable job security, we will not agree to this spin-off. ContiTech employees are entitled to job security and investments in their locations. It is up to the employer to reach out to us—the door is still open. Otherwise, as employee representatives, we will fight with all means at our disposal to prevent potential buyers from making a clean sweep of jobs in Germany,” Grioli explained.
“As IG Metall, we stand alongside our colleagues at ContiTech and the IGBCE. The metalworkers among the ContiTech employees must not be left behind either. Together, we all need solid commitments regarding our jobs. We will work together at all levels to achieve this,” said IG Metall Chairwoman Christiane Benner, Vice Chairwoman of the Continental Supervisory Board.
“For us as the Group Works Council, our darkest scenarios are becoming reality: Amid a global economy marked by massive uncertainty, decisions of enormous significance are being made at breathtaking speed. In the process, employees and their jobs are being permanently reduced to mere pawns in the hands of profit-maximizers. The much-vaunted value of solidarity at Continental is being irrevocably destroyed by the intense pace of the breakup. It remains to be seen whether this approach will actually be successful in the medium and long term and what implications this will have for employment at ContiTech in Germany,” said Hasan Allak, a member of Continental’s Supervisory Board and chairman of the Group Works Council.
