Thousands of Ford workers on strike in Cologne

Thousands of employees at US carmaker Ford in Cologne responded to a strike call by the IG Metall union on Wednesday. Nothing is happening at the plants," David Lüdtke, the IG Metall contact person for the Ford plants in the Niehl and Merkenich districts, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday. It is the first strike of its kind in the almost 100-year history of the Ford plant in Cologne.

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Ford wants to cut thousands of jobs in Germany as part of its cost-cutting program. The struggling US car manufacturer announced the job cuts last year. By the end of 2027, 4,000 jobs are to be cut in Europe, including 2,900 in Germany. The plants in Cologne, which are currently on strike, are particularly affected. All gates have been “manned by pickets” since the early hours of the morning, said Lüdtke. 11,500 employees work in production, development and spare parts in Cologne. Only a few employees tried to get to work despite the strike. His colleagues and he then tried to persuade these employees.

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Some employees also still have access to the site at an emergency gate. This gives access to employees who, according to Lüdtke, operate equipment that would otherwise break down. However, “not even a three-digit number” of people are currently working. The ballot on the strike had already suggested a high turnout. 93.5 percent voted in favor and the turnout was 95.7 percent. This is the first time that a strike has taken place at the Cologne site following a ballot. Previously, there had only been warning strikes, but unlike now, there was no strike pay for the employees.

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In March of this year, Ford's American parent company terminated a letter of comfort that had been in place since 2006 in addition to the job cuts. This guaranteed that the US group would cover the subsidiary's debts. By terminating the letter, Ford has created the possibility of insolvency in the coming years, said Benjamin Gruschka, Chairman of the General Works Council at Ford-Werke, to the Düsseldorf-based “Wirtschaftswoche”. A “short-term insolvency” is also to be feared.

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The leader of the Left Party, Ines Schwerdtner, spoke on Wednesday of a "slap in the face of the employees". She said Ford was in crisis because the management had overslept the transformation. "Instead of focusing on electromobility and sustainable production in good time, they hesitated and sat it out," criticized Schwerdtner.

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Meanwhile, talks are continuing between the union and the company. On Tuesday, the employer side contacted IG Metall to inform it of "new proposed solutions", the union explained. "We will listen to these proposals and consider whether the negotiations can possibly be continued this week," explained Kerstin Klein, first authorized representative of IG Metall Cologne-Leverkusen.

The strike at the Niehl and Merkenich plants is expected to end early Thursday morning.