At three extraordinary factory meetings on Monday, some 14,000 workers at Ford’s Cologne plants were told by the works council where jobs were being cut.
The IG Metall is not only conducting a struggle against wage increases. It is actively advocating and implementing wage cuts and cheap labour in an industry where workers were once among the best paid.
Workers showed little interest in last Thursday’s factory meeting at Ford Saarlouis. Asked what they expected from the meeting, most workers answered, “Nothing!”
Ever since the announcement of the plant closure, the works council and the IG Metall union have done everything in their power to prevent a serious struggle to defend all jobs.
In the four weeks since the closure of Ford’s Saarlouis plant was announced, the works council and IG Metall union have done everything to sabotage a fight to defend jobs. Anyone who opposes this is labelled a splitter.