Setback for the Saarland: The US carmaker ford has decided against electric car production at its plant in Saarlouis. Instead, an electric car platform is to be built at the plant in Valencia, Spain, as the group announced on Wednesday. At the Saarland site with 4,600 employees, production of the Focus combustion engine model will end in 2025. State politicians and employee representatives had hoped that the jobs would then be largely secured thanks to electrical investments. Management’s decision has now dashed that hope.
Ford Europe boss Stuart Rowley (55) said that the vote in favor of Valencia was not a decision to close the Saarlouis site. “We are now trying to find ways to give as many affected workers as possible a future.” From a technical and strategic point of view, both locations were on par, but from a financial point of view Valencia has advantages for the group. After the fundamental decision, restructuring is now pending in Valencia. The investment sum and the specific car model are still unclear.
When asked whether Saarlouis still had a future in the Ford Group after 2025, Rowley said that a task force would now be set up and how to proceed with the employee representatives and the Saarland state government would be discussed. Look at opportunities that lie inside and outside of Ford. The Saarland plant now faces an uncertain future. Things are looking better at Ford’s European headquarters in Cologne: This location, which is about three times as large, is to be strengthened with an investment worth billions, as was announced last year.
Habeck sees Ford as responsible
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (52, Greens) sees Ford as responsible and said: “I expect Ford, together with the works council, to put concrete plans for the future of the Saarlouis plant and its employees on the table in a timely manner.” For the many Ford employees and for the entire affected region, it is now important that there is clarity as quickly as possible about a concrete and reliable perspective for the Saarlouis location, according to Habeck.
3000 employees in Saarlouis protest
Around 3,000 Ford Saarlouis employees spontaneously took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the decision of Ford management. Disappointment and outrage prevailed among workers, union officials and politicians who gathered after a march to the rally on the B51. “This is not a funeral, this is a declaration of war,” said Lars Desgranges, first representative of IG Metall Völklingen. He accused the Ford management of “breach of word, lies, delaying tactics, failure”. Ford works council chairman Markus Thal said: “We were lied to and cheated on.” He will never accept the result.
“Ford’s decision is a farce”
The Saarland state government described the US car manufacturer’s decision against the Saarlouis location as a “farce”. “The group has opted for the economically worse offer,” announced Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger and Economics Minister Jürgen Barke (both SPD) on Wednesday. “After everything we know, we can say with confidence: the bottom line is that the Saarlouis location is clearly ahead. This gives the impression that the process was never fair.”
With the competition between Valencia and Saarlouis, Ford played the workforce off against each other in order to squeeze the lemon a little more. “It’s shabby,” said Rehlinger and Barke. The state government will still fight for the jobs. Ford “slept through the future”.