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Daniela Cavallo: »The far-reaching change does not have to end in dramatic breaks«
Photo: Kevin Nobs / dpa
Again and again, experts warn of massive job losses in the German automotive industry because of e-mobility.
But Daniela Cavallo, Head of the Works Council at Volkswagen, has now expressed herself extremely optimistically.
The difficult conversion from the combustion engine to the electric drive could be mastered without major job losses.
"This far-reaching change in our industry doesn't have to end in dramatic breaks," she said in Salzgitter.
There, the VW Group started building its first battery cell factory in Germany, which is being built next to the existing engine plant.
While jobs in classic areas are likely to decrease more and more in the medium term, 5,000 jobs in cell production are to be added at the site.
According to VW plans, there will be up to 20,000 worldwide.
"The transformation to e-mobility can very well bring good prospects, good work and secure employment," Cavallo said to the employees.
The management has since reconsidered after the works council called for the construction of a battery factory more than ten years ago.
At that time, the management said that such a step would be "nonsense": "If it had been up to the board of directors at the time, electromobility would not have started in this country.
But further away, namely in Eastern Europe.«
Almost 7,000 people are currently working at VW in Salzgitter.
For the time being, the number is likely to fall in the coming years - partial retirement models and further qualifications are to be used.
The original plant was converted to engine production in the 1970s, and from 2019 the first pilot and development lines for battery cells in electric cars were added.
In addition, parts for electric motors - rotors and stators - are already being manufactured in south-eastern Lower Saxony.
Cell production is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Storage systems for the energy grids are also to be built in Salzgitter at a later date.
hey/dpa
