Overview
- Volkswagen told IG Metall and the works council it intends to cancel several elements of the VW house tariff, a disclosure worker representatives say was delivered in a meeting in Hannover and will be formalised with termination notices.
- IG Metall has formally demanded a 5 percent wage increase for employees covered by the VW house tariff and said it will resist the planned cancellations, with union leaders calling the move an attack on staff pay.
- The timing of the dispute is set by contract rules: the wage tariff can be terminated as of December 31 and the peace obligation ends on January 1, 2027, after which warning strikes are legally possible.
- Unions point to Volkswagen’s recent shareholder payouts of about €2.6 billion, roughly €6 billion in Porsche‑related non‑cash impairments, and a falling personnel‑cost ratio to argue that wages are not the company’s main structural cost problem.
- A verification meeting between VW, IG Metall and the works council is under way and formal tariff talks are due this winter, with works council leaders warning of a heavy confrontation that could affect pay, shift rules and site contracts even as 2024 employment guarantees remain in place.