IG Metall boss Christiane Benner (56) is open to reintroducing the four-day week Volkswagen shown. “We should leave no stone unturned to maintain employment,” she said on Thursday. Accordingly, a reduction in working hours could be one of the options. However, the employer side, which has recently rejected shorter working hours, would have to open up to this, says Benner.
Lower Saxony’s head of government and VW supervisory board member Stephan Weil (65) also brought up the four-day week in the discussion about savings at Volkswagen. Three decades ago, the car manufacturer was already in a severe crisis in which the burden was appropriately distributed between all those involved, Weil said on NDR radio on Thursday. “In the end, something like this could once again be the basis for communication.”
During a sales crisis in 1994, VW introduced the four-day week to prevent the loss of 30,000 jobs. It wasn’t until 2006 that the car manufacturer returned to the five-day week.
Lower Saxony holds 20 percent of the voting rights in Volkswagen and has two members on the supervisory board. For the SPD-led government, maintaining the VW locations is a priority, but it must also support the company’s economic interests. “At Volkswagen there was a good rule that success was distributed appropriately among those involved. That was true in good times, but there have always been other times in the company’s history,” said Weil.
“The employees are not the cause of the problems”
At the same time, IG Metall district manager Thorsten Gröger (55) defended the wage demand of 7 percent more for VW employees. “The employees are not the cause of the problems the company is now in.” The solution to the problems cannot be that the principle that has been held for 20 years, that VW should make collective bargaining demands and conclusions in line with the rest of the industry be terminated.
It is still unclear when negotiations with the car manufacturer will begin. The IG Metall stated that she was open to quick discussions. However, management has not yet approached the union.