City Mayor Conradt advocates for education and offers support to workers at the ZF location in Saarbrücken
In a significant development, German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG has announced plans to move large parts of its production from Saarbrücken to a newly built, highly modern facility in Eger, Hungary. The relocation, which primarily affects older automatic transmissions and electric axle drives, is set to cost around €100 million.
The news has sent shockwaves through the Saarbrücken workforce, with approximately 8,500 employees currently employed at the plant. The move, which is imminent according to internal documents and an internal video obtained by the Saarbrücker Zeitung, has already led to 1,300 job cuts, and up to 4,500 additional jobs are threatened.
Mayor Uwe Conradt of Saarbrücken has expressed concern and anxiety about the future, emphasising the need for solidarity among location municipalities. In a personal letter to Simon Blümcke, Mayor of ZF's headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Conradt reaffirmed the close cooperation within the mayors' initiative. The mayors' initiative, 'For a strong automotive location', has agreed on close coordination between the management, municipalities, and employees of ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
In his letter to Dr. Holger Klein, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Conradt demanded clear statements about the future of the Saarbrücken location and the situation of the workforce. The workers' council is demanding transparency and alternative plans, including retraining programs, new product lines, or investments in environmentally friendly technologies, but no concrete proposals have been presented yet.
The situation is tense as the local community awaits clearer communication and decisive action from ZF’s management. Conradt, along with his colleagues from the mayors' initiative, will be active on a federal and European political level, focusing on the future of the automotive location Saarbrücken. The initiative will advocate for regional justice, economic reasons, and respect for the life's work of the employees in relation to the Saarbrücken location.
A departure from jointly agreed agreements would be unacceptable, according to Conradt. The future of the automotive location Saarbrücken is a matter of regional justice, economic reason, and respect for the life's work of the employees. The coming weeks are critical for job security, public trust, and the overall economic stability of the region.
[1] Saarbrücker Zeitung, "ZF will große Teile der Produktion nach Ungarn verlagern", 12.07.2023, https://www.saarbruecker-zeitung.de/wirtschaft/zf-will-groesse-teile-der-produktion-nach-ungarn-verlagern-979973
- The move to Hungary by ZF Friedrichshafen AG, as reported by Saarbrücker Zeitung, has sparked politics and general news discussions, with the Saarbrücken location's future being a subject of concern for Mayor Uwe Conradt and the mayors' initiative, 'For a strong automotive location.'
- In response to ZF Friedrichshafen AG's plans to relocate, policy-and-legislation matters are at the forefront, with Mayor Conradt advocating for regional justice, economic reasons, and respect for the workforce's life's work on a federal and European level.
