German car workers


IG Metall, which represents workers in Germany’s car plants, has called on the German government to introduce a new form of short-time working to protect workers threatened by unemployment. 


Recent weeks have seen a flurry of announcements on future job cuts, including 7,000 at Volkswagen and 5,000 at Ford. 


The reason is the shift to electric vehicles, which require fewer workers to produce than those with diesel or petrol engines. 


The union fears that 150,000 out of a total of 800,000 jobs could go.


It is therefore asking the government to introduce a new form of the short-time working arrangements that were so successful in preserving employment in the financial crisis in 2008 and the years that followed. It wants state funds so that workers can reduce their hours and re-train without loss of pay.