According to the announced Cuts up to 14,000 jobs at the auto supplier ZF Thousands of employees protested on Tuesday. “We are taking this action because we are against this frontal attack on the workforce Germany “We have to defend ourselves,” said a works council spokesman at the company’s headquarters in Friedrichshafen. Around 3,000 participants were expected at Lake Constance alone.
ZF announced at the end of July that it would cut jobs in Germany by the end of 2028. ZF is planning to establish several location networks with leaner structures. The company currently employs 54,000 people in Germany. The extent to which reductions are planned at the 35 locations will be “clarified in the coming weeks,” the board said at the time.
Debt and austerity
The heavily indebted company only imposed a strict austerity program in the spring. In an interview
At the beginning of July, ZF CEO Holger Klein (54) explained to manager magazin how dire the situation at the automotive supplier really is. This year and next year, costs are to be reduced worldwide by around six billion euros, it was said. Also to be able to cope with the e-change. The supplier, which is majority owned by the Zeppelin Foundation of the city of Friedrichshafen, has to invest heavily in order to keep up with the competition.
The works council said that their colleagues would not accept that one in four ZF employees in Germany should lose their job. A colorful bouquet of activities is planned at the locations: “works council information, protest rallies, demonstrations, active lunch breaks and signature campaigns”.
Protest also in Saarbrücken
Protest marches and rallies are planned in Friedrichshafen, and there will be a motorcade at the Mannheim location. Saarbrücken, which currently has 10,000 employees, is also taking part in the day of action. According to the works council chairman, Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (48, SPD) and Economics Minister Jürgen Barke (61, SPD) are also expected.
Around 169,000 people work for ZF worldwide. Around 10,300 people are employed on Lake Constance. ZF is represented at more than 160 production locations in 31 countries. In 2023, the company achieved sales of around 46.6 billion euros.