VW cuts: Eastern Germany commissioner says the region must not be left behind

Volkswagen’s restructuring must not leave eastern Germany behind, federal government commissioner Elisabeth Kaiser said after the company announced further job cuts and uncertainty over four plants.

Kaiser said an agreement reached by Volkswagen’s supervisory board had prevented the worst escalation, but she added that the company’s management still had responsibilities to meet. She called for concrete solutions for the Zwickau site.

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The East must not be left behind.

Volkswagen has announced plans to cut another 50,000 jobs in the coming years. The company said it could not currently guarantee competitive follow-up production at plants in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Neckarsulm from 2031 to 2034. It said it would examine alternative uses for the sites in parallel.

Kaiser urged VW to start the agreed discussions with works councils, unions and employees quickly. “There must not be another limbo in which employees, and therefore an entire region, are left uncertain about what will happen,” she said. She also expects Volkswagen’s management to face employees again at workplace meetings.

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There must not be another limbo in which employees, and therefore an entire region, are left uncertain about what will happen.