The strike that has just begun by employees of several companies in Ford’s supplier park in Saarlouis is already having an impact on production at the Ford factory: “Production has been stopped since this morning,” said the US car manufacturer’s spokeswoman in Cologne. This is related to the strike: “The system is such that we receive parts from the supplier park. And if they are not delivered, we cannot produce,” she said.
At the start of the morning shift, IG Metall called on employees of five companies in the supplier park to go on an indefinite strike. According to the union, a total of 500 people are employed in the companies: around 300 are affected by the strike in the morning shift and another 200 in the lunch shift. According to IG Metall, the companies produce engines/transmissions, axles, body parts, cable network systems and exhaust systems, without which no car can be finished.
“Only a cheap snack was offered”
The company representatives from the five companies Magna, Benteler, Tenneco, Rhenus LMS and Lear Corp. would have left IG Metall with no alternative but to go on strike. In negotiations on a social collective agreement since July 2023, “no offers that could be agreed upon, but only a cheap pass-off were offered,” said the second representative and negotiator of IG Metall Völklingen, Ralf Cavelius. An ultimatum of February 29th and another two-day moratorium have expired.
A social collective agreement has been in effect for employees at the Ford factory since the end of February. The agreements include the continued employment of 1,000 of Ford’s 3,750 employees until the end of 2032, high severance payments and bonuses, the formation of a transfer company and qualification programs. In addition, the end of production of the Ford Focus is to be postponed by half a year to November 2025.
Now that Ford has a clear plan, employees in the supplier park are demanding “clarity and security from their employers,” the union said. At the same time, says Uwe Zabel from the IG Metall district management center, “IG Metall also signals that it is ready for further negotiations at any time.” The only condition is the submission of an offer that comes significantly closer to the key parameters mentioned so far.