Overview

• Ford’s agreement will reduce its Cologne workforce by 2,900 positions by end-2027 and includes voluntary severance, expanded early retirement and a new pension protection fund for retirees
• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe secured a Sanierungstarifvertrag through 2030 that removes holiday pay, trims Christmas bonuses and cuts weekly hours to 32.5 while planning roughly 11,000 job eliminations via closures, efficiency measures and divestments
• Both frameworks preserve negotiated veto rights on forced layoffs until exhaustion of voluntary-exit schemes and social safeguards
• Implementation of each pact requires approval in separate IG Metall member votes and funding assurances from Ford’s US parent and Thyssenkrupp’s corporate group
• The twin agreements highlight pressure on Germany’s auto and steel sectors from weak demand, high energy costs and transitions to electric vehicles and green steel production