Autoindustrie: Belegschaft kritisiert „desaströse Kommunikation“ des Vorstands

Volkswagen employees have harshly criticized the company's management for "desperate communication," according to an internal survey. The issue has left workers and their families feeling "unsure and anxious," according to an intranet article obtained by the German Press Agency. The company's management, led by CEO Oliver Blume, is trying to cut costs and improve competitiveness in a challenging environment.

The survey, initiated by the works council, allowed employees to express their criticisms and expectations regarding Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume and the rest of the management. More than 100 questions were available, with the top five questions covering topics such as criticism of management communication, employee job security concerns, the future of socially acceptable layoffs and age-based part-time work, perspectives for factories in Emden, Hannover, Neckarsulm, Osnabrück, and Zwickau, and the strategy for customer trust, future products, and internal operations.

All five questions received a three-digit number of likes, which are considered top values on the intranet. The company is facing high costs and a difficult environment, with concerns from the workforce, unions, and politics about the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and the closure of production sites in Emden, Hannover, Zwickau, and Neckarsulm.

In an interview published on the company's intranet, Blume stated that the situation is "more than critical," adding that VW earns too little to finance its future. Current cost-saving measures were not sufficient, and the CEO described the company as "overdimensioned," making it often slow and complicated. The management plans to provide early answers to the survey questions and address the criticism in the coming days.

Nine extraordinary works council meetings are scheduled at Volkswagen, with the first one taking place on Tuesday, August 25, in Wolfsburg.