CDU Zwickau is fighting for the future of the VW plant: jobs in danger!

CDU Zwickau is fighting for the future of the VW plant: jobs in danger!

in the heart of Zwickau there is currently great unrest. The CDU city association Zwickau unequivocally calls for a location guarantee for the Volkswagen plant in Mosel. This work not only plays a crucial role in the livelihood of thousands of employees, but also has an immense importance for the entire region. Gerald Otto, the chairman of the city association, urges the serious consequences that could bring a possible reduction in production or a withdrawal of Volkswagen for the city and the surrounding area. The district administrator, Carsten Michaelis, supports this claim and appeals to the state government to develop a future -oriented perspective in cooperation with Volkswagen in order to take the concerns of the employees seriously and to secure the region. A master plan for Southwest Saxony is currently being developed so that the region does not fall over at the back in the upcoming structural change. The background to these discussions is the fact that Volkswagen is planning to operate only one production line from 2027 and to focus more on the preparation of old vehicles, such as Radio Zwickau.

What is special about the Zwickau Volkswagenwerk? Since its foundation on September 26, 1990 in the Mosel district, the work has held a central position in the Saxon automotive industry - and not without reason. The area of the work extends over 1,800,000 m² and currently employs 9,200 people. In recent years, the work has undergone a remarkable transformation: the production of vehicles with an incinerator engine has been set in June 2020 and since then the focus has been fully on electric cars. In fact, the work was able to produce around 204,000 vehicles in 2024, as the Wikipedia explains in detail.

The current situation

Nonetheless, Volkswagen is faced with challenges in Zwickau. Production was recently reduced, which caused concern that 40 % of the 50,000 jobs in the Saxon automotive supply industry are at risk. A crisis summit that is planned for March 13 is to develop solutions. Prime Minister Kretschmer and the Minister of Economics Panter come together with representatives of the supply industry and Volkswagen to discuss the future of jobs. Max Jankowsky, President of the Chemnitz IHK, sees this summit as a significant first step in securing work and promoting the economy in the region, as reported.

The Volkswagen works council in Zwickau particularly emphasizes the negative effects of the uncertain future perspective on the region and the workforce. The IG Metall is also active and is committed to the rights of the suppliers, which are often not covered by corresponding collective agreements. In this difficult economic environment, companies such as the vehicle technology supplier MFT from Cunewalde report drastic production declines of 30 to 35 percent, which led to the introduction of short -time work. Surprisingly, even Ford had to send employees in e-car production due to poor sales figures, which illustrates the precarious situation.

The discussion about the Volkswagenwerk in Zwickau clearly shows how much the future of the region depends on political decisions and corporate strategies. The pressure on those responsible is enormous, because this is about jobs, existence and the economic stability of an entire region.