German auto workers protest as union says 180,000 join

German automotive workers staged nationwide protests on Monday to demand action from government and management to protect jobs and factories, with the IG Metall union saying almost 180,000 people took part at more than 280 sites.

The protests came as Germany's car industry faces growing Chinese competition, weak domestic demand and US tariffs. Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 jobs by the end of the decade, while Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also downsizing.

At Volkswagen's Wolfsburg factory, IG Metall leader and VW supervisory board member Christiane Benner criticised management and called for cheaper energy, financial help for suppliers that need to retool factories and “Made in EU” rules to promote domestic production.

Janik Hitzemann, an assembly line worker at a VW plant in Hannover, told AFP he was protesting to press management to find another use for the site. The Hannover plant is one of four in Germany described as slated for potential closure.

“All we really want is for the board to take our demands for an alternative solution seriously,” Hitzemann said.

Daniela Cavallo, the head of VW's works council, told workers in Wolfsburg that Europe's automotive industry would be remade and that the burden should be shared fairly.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said last week he would press for the European Union to further protect European carmakers from Chinese competitors.

Wolfgang Schroeder, a University of Kassel political scientist who researches labour relations, told AFP the protests reflected deep concern about the industry's future. He said a nationwide action focused on a whole sector rather than a specific pay negotiation or company dispute was “rather new”.