VW Zwickau celebrates 35 years of Polo - employees complain about uncertain future!

VW Zwickau celebrates 35 years of Polo - employees complain about uncertain future!

In the heart of the Saxon Zwickaus, an exciting anniversary is celebrated: 35 years ago, the first VW Polo rolled off the assembly line. This event remembered many employees who started their career at the time in the Mosel district. The first polo, a steep rear with a 1.3-liter engine and 55 hp, today shines as a museum piece in Alpinweiß. It symbolically stands for the departure into a new era of automotive production when Trabant models were also manufactured in addition to the Polo. In the meantime, the workforce has experienced many ups and downs, but the optimism remains, despite the challenges that the VW crisis brings with it, how [news38.de] (https://www.news38.de/wolfsburg/vw/article30053101/vw-mitrklung-werk-zwickau-polo-s-news- Neid-er-jubilaeum.html) reports.

Some employees remember the early days in the factory when VW parts were still imported into wooden boxes from the west. This story describes a colleague with the words: "Our heart was tuned." They not only look back on a successful chapter, but also at challenging times, such as the hard working conditions, which were particularly noticeable in the layers. As another employee reports, many from the workforce were laughed at when they reported for weekend or night shifts- but there are also voices that just appreciate this assignment.

uncertainty in the factory

The positive mood, however, is strongly clouded by the current uncertainty. According to electrive.net plans VW in 2025 not to extend the limited employment contracts of the approximately 1,000 remaining employees. This is done in an environment in which the order situation is stagnating and many employees look in an uncertain future. An open letter from those affected to the group leaders and politics makes it clear that the workforce feels responsible for the “decline” of the work.

In 2023, over 2,500 were still employed in Zwickau with fixed -term contracts. Many of them have been posted in the hope of better times, but the wave of termination does not seem to stop. As early as 2023, 270 contracts expired, while further 1,000 employment contracts will end in the years. The production of electric cars is slow, which has a direct impact on the number of employees.

The effects on the region and the industry

A special dimension gets the situation through the wide branching of the automotive industry in Saxony. ZDF warns that up to 40% of 50,000 jobs in the automotive supplier industry could be threatened by the planned reduction in Zwickau. In order to counteract this, the Saxon state government plans a crisis summit in which solutions for the endangered areas are to be found. Prime Minister Kretschmer will consult with representatives of the supplier industry and Volkswagen to create a perspective.

The production line for the electric cars, which did not represent hope of a modern, sustainable future not too long ago, are now facing enormous challenges. The Volkswagen works council in Zwickau has repeatedly addressed the uncertainty and its effects on the employees and the region. But despite all the adversities, the will to secure the future of the location remains strong - in the workforce and politics.