Union affiliated with the AfD launches attack on Volkswagen
In a significant development, the union Zentrum is seeking to elect its own representatives for the first time at Volkswagen (VW). This move comes amidst a dispute between Zentrum and VW over the recognition of Zentrum as a union and its rights within the workplace.
The union, which serves as a link between employees and the union, aims to campaign, distribute information material, and hold elections within the company. However, VW argues that Zentrum cannot claim the legal special rights of a union because it is not a recognized union represented in the workplace.
The dispute centers around access to the Volkswagen Group Services site in Isenbüttel, where the union is seeking to establish its presence at VW. This issue has been a point of contention, with VW preventing the election of union representatives in Isenbüttel.
The court ruling on August 21 by the Labor Court in Braunschweig will decide if VW must grant access to the Isenbüttel site to the organization Zentrum. The court's decision will be based on legal criteria, including the rights of the employees to be represented by a union and whether union access serves legitimate purposes under German labor law.
Zentrum, which opened a regional office in Hannover to drive expansion in northern Germany in April, has already made a mark in the industry. Its founder and board chairman, Oliver Hilburger, confirmed that the union has members within the company. In fact, in court, Zentrum was able to dispel VW's doubts about its membership, presenting a list showing that six out of 150 workers belong to Zentrum.
Zentrum has already made strides in other automotive companies. Its members sit on the works council at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, and its Saxon colleagues joined the works council at BMW and Porsche in Leipzig in 2018.
The leader of Zentrum's regional office in Hannover is Jens Keller, who also serves as the chairman of the Hannover AfD city council fraction and personnel council at the municipal waste management company Aha. Keller's goal is to halve the membership of the "traditional unions" in the coming years.
This dispute between Zentrum and VW is a significant development in the German automotive industry and labor law. The outcome of the court ruling on August 21 will have implications for union representation and access at VW and potentially other companies in the future.
The union, Zentrum, is actively participating in the manufacturing industry, aiming to assert its presence not only at Volkswagen (VW) but also in other automotive companies. In the financing aspect, Zentrum's expansion strategy involves Halving the membership of traditional unions within a certain timeframe. The court ruling on August 21 will play a crucial role in the business relationships between Zentrum and VW, as well as potentially impacting union involvement in the industry at large.
