VW Saxony boss Auerswald counts on agreement before Christmas

In the wage dispute at car manufacturer Volkswagen, VW Saxony boss Danny Auerswald is hoping for a quick agreement before Christmas. To his knowledge, the talks so far have been constructive, "even if the individual positions are still far apart", Auerswald told the German Press Agency.

The losses caused by warning strikes so far could have been compensated for. "We still had a small reserve in terms of driving, which we now have to use to process all orders as planned." Production will then be shut down on Friday and the Zwickau vehicle plant will go on a two-week Christmas break. The time will also be used for conversions.

Decisive round of negotiations

A potentially decisive round of negotiations began at Volkswagen on Monday. Representatives of the company and IG Metall met in Hanover for their fifth meeting. In a two-day negotiation marathon, they want to try to reach an agreement. However, the positions are still far apart.

"We must not let any more time pass," said VW chief negotiator Arne Meiswinkel at the start of the talks in Hanover. "There is an acute need for action." The aim is to find a solution together. "This is our joint responsibility." This is the only way to secure the future of the company. "To do this, we need to find further financial potential that will lead to sustainable cost relief."

The IG Metall trade union demanded concessions from the company. "Yes, there was a constructive atmosphere in the talks last time, but of course that is nowhere near enough," said Works Council Chairwoman Daniela Cavallo at the start of the fifth round of collective bargaining in Hanover. "In this respect, it is now urgently necessary for this to happen, for the company to approach us now."

Volkswagen is demanding a ten percent pay cut due to the Group's difficult situation. Plant closures and compulsory redundancies are still on the cards. IG Metall, on the other hand, is demanding the retention of all sites and an employment guarantee for the approximately 130,000 employees. It rejects permanent cuts to monthly wages.

Representatives of VW Saxony in negotiations

According to IG Metall, it is not possible to estimate how long the talks will last. After the fourth round of negotiations a week ago, both sides reported constructive talks for the first time. However, neither side has yet spoken of a genuine rapprochement.

VW Sachsen is actively contributing its position to the negotiations as a subsidiary - through the works council, but also through HR Director Thomas Edig as a member of the negotiating committee, said Auerswald. "We are very interested in adopting the regulation as closely as possible at VW Saxony." This is because there are still two "collective bargaining worlds" between VW AG and VW Sachsen GmbH.