Overview

• The ZF works council has confirmed a protest march and rally with 5,000 employees on July 29 at the company’s Friedrichshafen headquarters
• The demonstration targets newly announced reductions to non-tariff benefits and earlier cuts to working hours under management’s latest cost-saving drive
• ZF swung from a €126 million profit in 2023 to a loss of just over €1 billion in 2024, prompting plans to eliminate up to 14,000 German jobs by 2028, with 5,700 positions already cut since early 2024
• Company leaders maintain that measures such as reduced hours are necessary to navigate a challenging economic and geopolitical environment and to avoid compulsory layoffs
• Works council chief Achim Dietrich insists employees will not shoulder the burden of management errors without a clear, sustainable strategy for the Friedrichshafen site