Epic Struggle at Ford Cologne: First-Ever Strike Halts Production with a Thump!
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Labor organization carries out work stoppage at Ford's manufacturing facility in Cologne for the initial occasion - Labor action initiated by union members in Cologne
Breaking a nearly century-long tradition, the Ford plants in Cologne have come to a grinding halt due to a labor upheaval. This morning, IG Metall set up picket lines at the plant entrances, causing early shifts to be cancelled. The company intends to prune around 2,900 of the approximately 11,500 current jobs by the end of 2027, provoking harsh protests.
The IG Metall is rabid for a change in direction and lucrative goodbyes for employees who leave voluntarily or are outsourced to other firms. Their axe falls on dismissals due to operational reasons until 2032.
"The work here has come to a screeching halt," said IG Metall's spokesperson, David Lüdtke at Ford Cologne, after the first early shifts were scrapped. The strike affects all sections of the site - production, research and development, administration, and more. "We aren't letting anyone in."
Scant Workers, Scores of Scabs
However, there are exceptions: particular employees have access to an emergency service gate. "And anyone who insists on being a scab can also get in - but we'll give 'em a piece of our mind," said Lüdtke. At around nine o'clock, the picket at the emergency service gate reported that only three scabs had come in so far. The strike is set to end with the conclusion of the final night shifts on Thursday morning.
The Ford Werke GmbH was born in Berlin in 1925 and has been based in Cologne since 1930. The Cologne Ford site contains multiple production facilities, including those for electric vehicles, commercial vehicle transmissions, and a spare parts center.
Union-less Uprising
The Ford Werke have never before experienced a strike by a union. The year 1973 bore witness to a "wildcat" - i.e., non-union-organized - strike by Turkish employees protesting the dismissal of 300 countrymen and campaigning against discrimination. Their effort fell short, with neither the works council nor the union backing them.
This ongoing strike has nothing to do with this long-forgotten labor conflict. The IG Metall held a ballot at the beginning of May, with 93.5 percent of IG Metall members working at Ford casting their votes in favor of a strike. The first one-day strike has now begun.
Works Council Warns of More Strikes
According to Ford Germany's works council chairman Benjamin Gruschka, the strike amps up the pressure on management. "That really stings, it's costing them a few million today," said the works council. If management doesn't alter its stance, further strikes will ensue. "Then we will schedule more strike days, and it will hurt even more."
Gruschka emphasized the gravity of the labor dispute. He highlighted the parent company dropping a patronage declaration - a sort of guarantee for the Ford Germany subsidiary - tantamount to putting its thumb on the button of a possible insolvency. "The colleagues know that it's do or die." The termination of the patronage declaration opens the door to a theoretical insolvency of Ford Werke GmbH, something that wasn't a possibility before.
The IG Metall is pushing for a financial safety net from the US parent company for the employees in case of such an insolvency. Currently, insolvency remains purely theoretical, as Ford Germany's debt mountain has been significantly reduced following a US financial injection.
A Ford spokesperson expressed optimism at the start of the strike: "We are confident that we will reach a resolution in our discussions with our social partners."
Labour clash attracts SPD's attention
The strikers also received visits from politicians. The chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament, Jochen Ott, criticized the Ford management for their "unbelievable treatment" of the employees. "The employees deserve reasonable social packages - even if certain jobs are lost." Ford has switched entirely to the production of electric cars in Cologne, but lags behind in the e-mobility field. The production of the combustion engine compact car Fiesta ceased in 2023, and two electric SUVs are now being assembled.
Social Democrat Ott recalls his early days as a member of the state parliament, when he was elected in 2010. A Ford manager at the time dismissed electric cars as "nonsense" in a conversation with him. "I told him, 'We need an electric Fiesta that is affordable for the general public.' That was brushed off," says Ott. "Ford took the wrong approach, and the employees are now dealing with the repercussions of the management's decisions."
Beacon of Hope on the Horizon
The US parent company Ford is thriving with commercial vehicles and pickups, but these are not produced in Germany. The vehicles focused on Europe are a burden on Ford's bottom line. Only if this changes will the Cologne site have a future - this is clear to all involved.
Ford's market share in the German car market was only 3.5 percent in 2024, a decline of 1.5 points compared to 2022. The sales of the new electric cars are currently below expectations. However, there was a glimmer of hope recently: In April, the number of newly registered Ford passenger cars increased by 15.2 percent compared to the previous year, and the market share rose to 3.9 percent.
- The ongoing dispute between Ford and IG Metall is not limited to the production sector, but also affects research and development, administration, and other parts of the Ford Cologne site.
- The proposed employment policy by Ford, which includes dismissals due to operational reasons until 2032, is a significant point of contention for IG Metall, leading to the first strike at Ford plants in Cologne.
- The Cologne Ford site contains multiple production facilities, including those for electric vehicles, commercial vehicle transmissions, and a spare parts center. However, the production of combustion engine compact cars like the Fiesta ceased in 2023, and Ford lags behind in the e-mobility field.
- The IG Metall is advocating for a financial safety net from the US parent company for employees in case of insolvency, which is a possible outcome due to the termination of the patronage declaration by the parent company.
