Ford Europe’s plans to cut jobs have been met with a public outcry, particularly in Germany, where Ford operates its biggest European production, with the headquarters in Cologne.
“The co-determination we have lived for decades has been trampled all over by today’s announcement,” union IG Metall writes in a statement sent to Kallanish.
The union is outraged that the company has gone public with its announcement before informing the workforce. “Ford is aligning itself with a number of companies that make their employees pay for mismanagement and strategic helplessness,” says Knut Giesler, head of IG Metall’s North Rhine Westphalia chapter.
Under the irony-free headline “Ford strengthens competitiveness in Europe,” the carmaker announced on Wednesday that it plans to axe around 4,000 jobs in Europe until the end of 2027. This will affect mainly sites in Germany and the UK, Ford writes. According to press reports, 2,900 jobs will be lost in Germany, 800 in the UK and 300 in other countries. Its main plant in Cologne employs 11,500 people, and will lose approximately one quarter of staff.
Ford explains that its passenger car segment has been making losses for years. It also points to the weakness of its e-cars portfolio and cites weak demand for its new Explorer and Capri models.
Ford’s works in Cologne previously introduced short working hours, which it will expand in the first quarter of 2025. Commentators have criticised Ford for being a latecomer to e-cars, offering models that are too expensive for the market.
According to Focus magazine, the company invested €2 billion ($2.2 billion) to enable the Cologne plant to produce e-cars.
Christian Koehl Germany
