Ford works council in Germany to update staff on job cut talks on Feb 14

THE Ford Motor works council in Cologne, Germany invited workers to a meeting on Feb 14 to update them on negotiations with management over planned job cuts at Ford’s plants in Europe, a union representative said on Tuesday (Feb 7).

Ford said in late January it would decide by mid-February how many jobs would be lost in the region after the works council at its Cologne plant, which supports the interests of employees, informed employees that up to 3,200 roles may be cut in the worst-case scenario. The plant employs about 14,000 people.

A spokesperson for Ford was not immediately available for comment.

The carmaker needed to be “aggressive” in improving its quality and cost structure in Europe and the United States, Ford’s chief executive Jim Farley said on an earnings call last week, after reporting a fall in quarterly profits that sent its share price tumbling.

Productivity of Ford’s engineers in Europe was 25-30 per cent lower than it should be, chief financial officer John Lawler added on the call.

The works council in Cologne has demanded that management commit to no layoffs before Dec 31, 2032, and that the roughly 2,500 product development staff there remain part of the automaker’s global development landscape.

The carmaker has committed to an all-electric lineup in Europe by 2030 and its US leadership has repeatedly flagged that EVs require less labour. REUTERS