Wolfsburg, Germany - Workers at German carmaker Volkswagen
expressed solidarity with their South African counterparts on
Wednesday in view of reports the concern is planning to shift
production of its popular Golf model from South Africa to Germany.
A spokesman for the VW works council said it would only agree to
the switch if a suitable replacement for the Golf production was
found for the South African operation, which employs 6,600 people.
Earlier this month, the company was reported to be considering
moving production of the right-hand drive Golf model for the
Asia-Pacific region from Uitenhage to VW's main manufacturing plant
at Wolfsburg.
Works Council chairman Bernd Osterloh said the employees'
representatives in Germany were discussing the planned move with the
company's board.
'No one needs to be worried that we will agree to a switch of
production from South Africa to Germany if this will have negative
consequences for the work force at Uitenhage,' Osterloh said.
VW is reported to be planning to move production mid-2008 after
alternatives for the South African plant had been decided.
Industry sources said the background to the planned shift in
production was a pledge made by the VW board to Germany's IG Metall
trade union during wage negotiations earlier this year.
The company promised to introduce a new model to the Wolfsburg
plant in exchange for an agreement by employees to work longer hours
without additional pay.
Bringing the right-hand drive Golf to the German plant would mean
an extra 40,000 to 45,000 vehicles per year. This will save 1,100
jobs faced with the axe because of improved productivity and changes
related to the introduction of a new Golf model in late 2008.
Volkswagen expects to produce 480,000 vehicles at the Wolfsburg
plant at the end of next year.
Last month, Volkswagen announced that pre-tax profits for the
first six months quadrupled as it delivered a record 3.1 million
vehicles to customers.
Relocating production from Uitenhage, near Port Elizabeth, would
be a major blow for the South Africa plant, a third of whose
production revolves around the right-hand drive Golf.
In addition to the Golf, the plant also produces smaller Polo
models. Reports have said another Polo model might be produced in
Uitenhage as compensation.
Volkswagen earlier transferred Golf assembly from its plant in
Brussels to Germany, prompting major protests in Belgium after
thousands of jobs were lost.
In the meantime, VW subsidiary Audi has taken over the Brussels
plant and is soon to produce the new Audi A1 model there.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
Your Talkback on this Story