Volkswagen: Politicians criticize approach in supplier dispute – Times Online

The procedure of the automobile manufacturer Volkswagen in dispute with suppliers has caused politicians from government and opposition for annoyance. Criticizing the Union and the Greens, VW would want to reduce the retrieval of short-time working their own costs.

With reduced working hours, companies can react to a drop in orders, without equal to lay off employees. For this, the company working is reduced temporarily. For the loss of earnings of employees jumps to request a federal agency for work with the partial unemployment benefits if certain conditions are met.

“short-time work is not a strike fund for companies that are located in the economic struggle and received contracts not comply willfully, “the labor market expert of the CDU, Karl Schiewering, the Süddeutsche Zeitung . Similarly, the CSU politician Hans Michelbach SME expressed. “The short-time allowance is not meant that financially secures its buying power on the hump of contributors,” he said of the Rheinische Post .

The middle class representative of the Greens parliamentary group, Thomas Gambke, also argued: “It is wrong that the payer is charged because a group with its supplier companies ausficht a commercial conflict” he told the Journal. “That’s not at all.”

The Image , citing internal estimates, the payment of short-time working for VW workers could cost around ten million euros per week. The sum is based on how many of the 28,000 threatened employees in the six VW plants ultimately go on short time. The production at the sites stopped on Monday. Before short-time working allowance is paid, the employee must first degrade overtime.

By stopping production and reduced working hours Volkswagen responds to the delivery stop of his two suppliers ES Automobilguss and Car Trim. The companies argue that the automakers would force the delivery stop, because contracts were terminated “without notice and without reason”. According to a media report is about 58 million euros, missing the medium-sized companies in the future and for which they want a balance of VW.

Volkswagen – Nearly 30,000 employees of dispute with suppliers affected Due to the dispute with Car Trim and ES Automobilguss decreasing their production several VW plants. For employees there, the Group has already applied for short-time working.