by Victoria Waldersee and Christina Amann
BERLIN (Reuters) – Ford is expected to decide by mid-February how many jobs will be cut in Europe, a spokesman for Germany’s IG Metall union said on Tuesday.
Union representatives will meet with Ford management on Saturday for the next stage of talks, said the IG Metall spokesman, who threatened disruption if the U.S. automaker persisted with its layoff plans.
Employees at the Cologne site were presented with plans by management on Monday, including one to cut up to 2,500 jobs in product development and up to 700 in administrative roles.
A second scenario is also on the table, the spokesperson said, declining to provide details.
Ford declined to comment, referring to a January 20 statement in which it said the shift to electric vehicle (EV) production required structural changes and that it would say no more until the plans would not be finalized.
The Cologne works council has demanded that the management undertake not to make any redundancies before December 31, 2032.
With production of the Ford Fiesta due to end in Cologne this summer and that of the Ford Focus at the Saarlouis site in 2025, the council also demanded clear plans on how Ford “will secure and develop a significant share of the market European passenger cars”.
(Report Victoria Waldersee and Christina Amann; French version Kate Entringer, edited by Tangi Salaün)
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