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Aircraft fuselage on factory premises in Hamburg: warning strikes against conversion plans
Photo: Marcus Brandt / dpa
According to IG Metall, more than 14,000 employees took part in the warning strikes at Airbus by Friday.
In total, complete shifts in production have failed at six German locations of the aircraft manufacturer, said the union.
Specifically, these are the northern German plants in Bremen, Hamburg, Nordenham, Stade and Varel as well as Augsburg in Bavaria.
The work stoppages began on Thursday at individual locations and are expected to last until the weekend in some cases.
The protest is directed against the plans published in April to reorganize civil aircraft production.
The largest German trade union speaks of a "pointless split" and insists on commitments to secure locations and jobs well into the next decade.
Airbus actually wanted to combine the assembly of aircraft fuselages and structures in a new subsidiary at the beginning of 2022. The Airbus plants in Stade, parts of the Hamburg location and the Airbus subsidiary Premium Aerotec with three of the four Augsburg plants and the Bremen and Nordenham locations would be affected. In addition, the aircraft manufacturer wants to sell the parts production at Premium Aerotec in Augsburg, in the Frisian town of Varel and in Romania to an investor.
“The factories stand still and the halls are empty. Many construction and administration employees also take part in the warning strikes from home and refuse to work, ”said the North German district manager of IG Metall, Daniel Friedrich. "The conflict can be resolved quickly with a fair future package for all employees and locations," he added. The high participation in the warning strikes shows "that our colleagues are ready to continue fighting for the future of their jobs and locations." Friedrich had already spoken of a pending "major conflict" should there not be a solution soon.
According to Airbus, it has promised to invest billions and "comprehensive guarantees" on locations and employment conditions at the locations.
For the union, the commitments do not go far enough.
For example, it requires a perspective beyond the year 2030.
The escalation comes at an inopportune time for Airbus, as the aircraft manufacturer is behind schedule with the 600 deliveries planned for 2021 shortly before the end of the year.
According to unconfirmed information from industry circles, around 500 aircraft have so far been delivered to customers.
"We have to roll up our sleeves, it's going to be a year-end rally, we need every man on deck," said the company about the warning strikes.
fdi / dpa
