The IG Metall trade union has called on Volkswagen to enter into a review discussion regarding the fulfillment of future commitments established in the collective bargaining agreement signed on December 20, 2024. This demand was communicated by the IG Metall branches in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt in Hannover on Friday. The core issue, according to the union, involves the legally binding commitments for investments in new models, future products, and modernized production processes.
The union stated that by initiating this process, they are exercising a specific mechanism provided for in the future collective agreement.
Thorsten Gröger, the regional director for IG Metall in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, emphasized that the December 2024 agreement was not merely a concession from the employees but a “future package.” According to Gröger, workers made significant contributions to the economic stability of Volkswagen and, in return, secured broad agreements aimed at protecting employment and the future of the company’s locations. He asserted that if employees fulfilled their part of the bargain, Volkswagen should not unilaterally redefine its commitments later on.
Daniela Cavallo, the CEO of Volkswagen AG’s Works Council, acknowledged that the workforce’s concessions during the 2024 negotiations were not granted without cost. She stated that these compromises were made in reliance on the promises made and therefore expected to hold. She confirmed that all plants needed a secure future.
However, recent statements made by the Volkswagen management during works council meetings have raised serious doubts about whether the company intends to uphold the previously agreed-upon investments and product commitments unconditionally. For IG Metall, this has reached the threshold requiring the launch of the contractually agreed-upon review procedure. Gröger stressed that the union will not accept a policy of procrastination, relativization, or blurring of binding commitments. He clarified that the current move is not about new demands but strictly about enforcing the terms of the existing collective agreement.
The review process is regulated under Paragraph 7 of the Future Collective Agreement. This paragraph mandates that both parties must enter a review discussion if substantial changes occur to the underlying assumptions or economic conditions during the agreement’s term, which runs until December 31, 2030, provided one party requests it. Should they fail to reach consensus, either side can escalate the matter to the official arbitration body, as per Paragraph 30.1.2 of the MTV.
IG Metall further clarified that requesting this review does not alter any existing contractual agreements. The Future Collective Agreement and all terms of the December 2024 agreement remain in effect, and employment security remains unaffected. The Future Collective Agreement can be terminated no earlier than December 31, 2030. The review process does not grant Volkswagen the right to unilaterally change or annul contractual regulations. If no agreement is reached in the review meeting, the contract allows for the referral to the arbitration body, where no changes can be made without the consent of both parties.
Central agreements include a promised multi-billion Euro payment to employees should no successor agreement for employment security be reached starting in 2031, and this commitment also remains intact. Gröger was careful to prevent misconceptions, insisting that the review is neither a termination of the Future Collective Agreement nor an invitation to renegotiate protective clauses. Employment security until the end of 2030 stands, as do all other clauses of the agreement. The goal is simply to demand corporate adherence to the contract and gain clarity on how Volkswagen plans to honor its commitments to securing the future of its locations.
IG Metall expects Volkswagen to use the review meeting to concretely outline how the agreed-upon commitments will be implemented and what these perspectives mean for German plants. The union stressed that what is needed now is clarity on Volkswagen’s industrial future, not further headlines about potential downsizing or closures. Having fulfilled their part, the employees now expect the board to demonstrate its commitment to realizing the stated future promises. Should the subsequent process confirm that Volkswagen is failing to meet its contractual obligations, IG Metall, through its bargaining commission, will pursue the necessary consequences and take required action.
