El grupo Volkswagen planea congelar salarios hasta 2030
La medida afectaría a "muchos de sus 600.000 empleados en todo el mundo", incluida la plantilla de Seat. Leer
German automobile giant Volkswagen plans to freeze salaries for its workforce until 2030 to cut costs, according to internal documents cited by the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The move, part of the company's cost-cutting measures, includes layoffs of tens of thousands of employees. Volkswagen, the largest automaker in Europe, employs around 600,000 people globally.
The salary freeze would result in a real wage loss of about 10% for those affected, according to Sueddeutsche Zeitung's economic section. This plan would apply to all centers where Volkswagen produces, including all its brands, regions, and companies. The German car manufacturer has rejected commenting on the news, calling it speculation, while Seat sources have declined to comment and stated it is a matter for the group.
The major workers' union IG Metall has deemed the plan absurd, while the company's worldwide committee anticipates strong resistance. The salary freeze adds to Volkswagen's efforts to reduce expenses, which include laying off 100,000 workers in the coming years. Volkswagen, which had around 680,000 employees in 2023, including Chinese joint ventures, announced a first round of cuts of 50,000 jobs in Germany in December 2024, mainly at its main brand VW.
In September, an additional 50,000 jobs were cut until 2030, with half in Germany and the other half in other European countries. Other cost-cutting measures by Volkswagen include halving the range of its models. For Seat, one of the main challenges is negotiating the upcoming agreement, which expires at the end of the year but could be extended if neither party terminates it within the three-month grace period before its end.
Seat's CEO Markus Haupt stated that so far, there have only been talks with UGT and CC.OO. to decide on the best path forward for both parties. He also mentioned that the new Seat agreement aims to maintain Martorell's competitiveness as a production unit without going into further details. Haupt also expects Volkswagen to decide on the second electric platform for Martorell (Barcelona) within the next two years.
Seat's unions have advocated in recent years for the upcoming agreement to protect the electric vehicle production platform at the Martorell plant.
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