First Strike in 100 Years at Ford's Cologne Plant... Protest Against Job Cuts

Ford to Cut 14% of Workforce Across Europe Amid Poor Performance
Cologne Plant Employees Demand Job Security in Case of Bankruptcy

Employees at Ford's Cologne plant in Germany went on strike on May 14 (local time), marking the first strike at the factory in its 100-year history.

Reuters Yonhap News

According to Reuters and other sources, workers at Ford's Cologne plant held a one-day strike and staged a rally demanding job security in response to management's restructuring plans. Last week, the workers voted to strike following a ballot. This action comes after Ford announced in November of last year that it would reduce its European workforce by about 14%. This is the first strike at the Ford Cologne plant since it was established in 1925.

The employees are protesting the company's restructuring plan to cut 2,900 jobs and are demanding job guarantees even in the event of the plant's bankruptcy. The Cologne plant currently employs 11,500 people.

Benjamin Gruschka, the union representative at Ford's Cologne plant, stated, "Today's one-day strike has resulted in millions of euros in losses," and added, "Given the significant impact of the production halt, we expect management to come to the negotiating table by tomorrow."

He further emphasized, "If management shows no movement, we are prepared to launch additional strikes."

In November of last year, Ford announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs out of its 28,000 employees across Europe, including 800 in the United Kingdom. Since 2018, Ford has already reduced more than 5,000 jobs in Germany alone.

The restructuring appears to be due to losses stemming from declining demand in Europe. In 2023, Ford posted a loss of 126 million euros (197 billion won), and its cumulative losses have reached 5.8 billion euros (910 billion won) to date. Future performance is also expected to be affected by the tariff war triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump. At a first-quarter earnings briefing earlier this year, Ford estimated that various tariffs would result in an additional cost burden of 2.5 billion dollars for the year.

Not only Ford, but also other global automakers such as Volkswagen, Nissan, and General Motors (GM) are taking similar measures to address intensifying competition from China, sluggish demand, and rising costs associated with electrification.