Announcements of factory closures, layoffs, pay cuts at VW – what effect will these gloomy forecasts have on the automaker’s employees? FOCUS online inquires at the main location in Wolfsburg in front of the factory gates.
The sky in Wolfsburg was so overcast on this Tuesday afternoon that the smoke from the chimneys of the old thermal power plant at the VW factory looked just a pale color. At the location in front of him there was a fire engine which was almost ready to extinguish the fire, which did not yet exist and the extent of it was unknown. But this has been triggered by the works council. The council itself is supplying fuel through announced austerity measures.
Uwe has worked at VW for 44 years: “It’s never been like this before”
“Both sides are like powder kegs,” Uwe said in the parking lot in front of the tunnel entrance leading to factory gate 6. “You don’t know what to believe, how serious the situation is.” Only one thing is certain: nothing like this has ever happened before. A 60 year old man, short gray hair, round glasses, comfortable sneakers, can judge this well. He has worked in maintenance for the group for 44 years. Previously, his father and grandfather built, serviced and maintained cars there.
“The mood in the company is bad,” said the Wolfsburg native. Coworkers feel scared, especially younger colleagues worried about their jobs. According to him, there is no single main cause of this misery. On the one hand, the economic situation is responsible, and on the other, the traffic light coalition, whose parties are too different in direction and cannot achieve common ground.
But wrong decisions on the part of management are also important. This also includes a focus on e-mobility, which Uwe is not entirely sure about. This will be very important in the future, but it has not yet been achieved. However, the most serious thing is that companies put people second to profits. “What’s important is no longer the workers, what’s important is just the dividends.”
Uwe spoke calmly, didn’t move his hands, occasionally laughed nervously, but his feet remained on the parking asphalt. It seems he has distanced himself emotionally from the company’s VW generation. Not just because he’s retiring next year. “I no longer have confidence in this company since 2015,” he said, without using the term diesel scandal. VW boss at the time, Martin Winterkorn, who had to answer in court for manipulating diesel engine emissions, appeared loyal, including to his employees. Uwe’s disappointed expression brought that thought to its conclusion. Basically, there is no need for climate activists who want to stay in factories and stop production. “VW is destroying itself,” he said with a bitter laugh.
“Management is 50 percent to blame, they mismanaged”
In the endless parking lot in front of gates 6 and 17, all kinds of VW models with different lines are lined up close together. A black T-Roc next to a dark blue Golf, a red Polo next to a white Beetle, a red ID.Buzz next to a black Passat. Among several Skoda and branded foreign teaser models. The fight for parking just before the morning shift starts at 6am appears to be fierce; Several cars were parked illegally in restricted areas. Shortly before 2pm, there was another rush – a shift change. More men than women and more elderly than young employees streamed towards the tunnel entrances to Gate 6 and Gate 17.
Many of them agreed with Uwe’s assessment of VW’s situation. “Management is 50 percent to blame; they mismanaged everything,” said a short, friendly man with brown eyes who was walking to work in the tunnel. He is also a VW veteran and has worked in quality assurance for the automaker for 40 years. Many things have changed at the company since he started working, including communication which is now done “behind closed doors”. “We were a VW family,” said an employee in a white work uniform with a VW logo on the side of a heart. Even so, he was satisfied with his employer.
After 18 years at VW, employee changes jobs – “It’s always the responsibility of the little guy”
A smoking man in a baseball cap who had just returned from his maintenance shift couldn’t say that. The 33-year-old has worked at VW for 18 years and has never earned anything from a director’s job. “It is always the responsibility of the little people. “It’s always just words, it’s nothing new,” he said. The 33-year-old also noticed the uncertainty among his colleagues. “There is a lot of unrest in the company.” However, the young man himself was taking it easy – he would be leaving the company at the end of the year. A long-standing bad working atmosphere also contributed to this. “And the severance pay is currently quite good,” he said. This 33 year old player also wants to develop personally and face new professional challenges. His new employer: a weapons manufacturer. “Only they are fine.”
“There’s no information yet, that’s a typical VW thing,” said a young industrial mechanic
On the other side of the tunnel, another young man climbed the stairs. He was wearing a blue work uniform and looked tired. The current situation gave him a lot of trouble. “I was tense and felt left alone,” said the 22-year-old, blonde hair, green eyes. Younger employees are especially worried about their jobs. This also applies to industrial mechanics who have worked at VW since 2019 and completed their training there. “No information yet – this is typical VW,” he said in a calm voice and slightly furrowed brows. He finds out from his colleagues what is happening in the company. However, they do not have a close relationship with each other. “It used to be more intimate and friendly, my colleagues said. The average age at VW is high, many have been there a long time. But for me it’s just a job.”
His father could tell us about these times too, the young man said, when he saw him running up the stairs wearing a boiler suit. “My journey,” said the young man with a smile. The father rushed by, shouted “Have a nice evening” and hurried away with his son.
There will be no more carpools between father and son in the family of VW veteran Uwe in the future. His son works outside the automotive business. A blessing for the 60 year old man, not a disappointment at the breakdown of tradition. “I’m glad my kids don’t work here.”