Trade union worries about jobs in the car industry in the East

In the view of the trade union, the weakness of the German automotive and supplier industry is hitting eastern Germany particularly hard. There are concerns about job losses.

Every fourth industrial job in eastern Germany depends on the automotive industry - in western Germany, the proportion is significantly lower. This was announced by IG Metall districts in several eastern German states and regional transformation networks with reference to a commissioned study. 51,000 people work in eastern German car plants, 200,000 in the supplier industry. A quarter of a million jobs in the east depend directly or indirectly on the automotive industry, it said.

The industry is in crisis due to weak demand, the slump in e-cars and new competition in China. There is a threat of job cuts. Manufacturers such as VW, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Opel and Tesla also have plants in eastern Germany.

The head of the Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony district of IG Metall, Dirk Schulze, said: "It must be clear to everyone: de-industrialization here would promote further unmanageable social, economic and political upheavals." An innovative industrial policy is needed for the whole of Germany, with a targeted focus on structurally weak regions.

"The transition to e-mobility is an immense challenge for Saxony-Anhalt, as automotive companies are still relying heavily on traditional drive systems," said Thorsten Gröger, who heads the IG Metall district of Lower Saxony-Saxony-Anhalt. He called for competitive energy prices and targeted promotion of e-mobility.