An end to the leadership dispute Volkswagen is from the point of view of IG Metall by no means sure. After the restructuring of the board of directors that was decided a week ago, it now depends on how the CEO Herbert Diess (63) do his job, said the union chairman Jörg Hofmann (66) of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”. “This is one last attempt at cooperation,” said Hofmann. “We do this in the hope that his erratic outbursts will come to an end.” If not, the topic will have to be reassessed. “I have no illusions about that.”
At the end of September, Diess had once again turned the works council against itself by considering a possible reduction in tens of thousands of jobs. It was only after a lengthy search for compromise that the dispute with a further erosion of Diess’s power succeeded a week ago to end.
According to this, VW brand boss Ralf Brandstätter will be promoted to the Group’s board of directors at the beginning of the year and will take over the new “Volkswagen Passenger Cars” department. CEO Diess is to hand over the management of the important, recently ailing China business to Brandstätter in mid-2022, but will retain responsibility for the volume brands and will become the top boss of the software subsidiary Cariad. The 63-year-old also remains responsible for the strategy in areas such as software and batteries.
Hofmann, who is the deputy chairman of the VW supervisory board, said: “If Herbert Diess wants to advance the company as chairman of the board, he has to prove himself.” The past cannot be erased. Nevertheless, it is now the right solution for VW, “that we as employees could avoid a basic conflict with the shareholders and continue with Mr. Diess for the time being”.
Its strategic competence is undisputed, but that alone is not enough for a CEO, said Hofmann. “As I see it, this also includes the ability to inspire the team. You don’t overdo it Twitter or Linkedin, but through good and authoritative communication. “