"VW workers protest in Germany over proposed job cuts and factory closures", 9 July 2026

Volkswagen’s proposal to slash up to 100,000 jobs and close factories faced a major test on Thursday as it was formally put to its supervisory board, with protests at the company’s plants in Germany.

IG Metall organised demonstrations involving shop stewards and union council members at 18 sites at Europe’s biggest carmaker, including at its headquarters. The influential staff union told the chief executive, Oliver Blume, that he could not “pass the buck for failures of recent years on to the workforce”...

A VW spokesperson said the carmaker was fighting for its long-term survival, adding: “We understand that the workforce is concerned about the future of our company. The executive board and the supervisory board share these concerns about the future of the Volkswagen Group.”

He said management had “drawn up a comprehensive plan for the future, which is now being discussed by the supervisory board”...

The presentation by Blume’s team comes after the car trade representative body, the VDA, predicted potential employment collapse across the sector in Germany and the wider continent unless “bold decisions” were taken, including the potential sell-off of unviable plants to foreign car companies...

Months of talks with unions would follow if the proposals are accepted by the board, which is made up of company representatives, union representatives and local politicians, a structure set under the Volkswagen Act, a set of laws passed in the 1960s designed to protect the carmaker from hostile takeovers.