1 european social forum in istanbul from 1 to 4 july 2010 crisis in the automotive industry –...
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Crisis in the Automotive Industry –Achieving social and ecological transformation
Contents
• Relevance of the European automotive industry
• Hallmarks of the crisis
• Extent of the crisis
• Social and ecological requirements
• Conditions needed to assert demands
• International labour operations: the Volkswagen Group
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Relevance of the European automotive industry
• Western Europe, including new member states, accounts for 30% of worldwide auto production.
• 2.1 million employees in immediate core sector
• The livelihoods of 12 million employees overall depend on European automobile manufacturing
Source: Eurostat
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Hallmarks of the crisis in the auto industry
• Cyclic / macroeconomic crisis, 15% to 25% surplus capacities
• Distribution crisis, income / taxation policy
• Financial crisis, speculation on financial markets rather than sustainable value creation (real economy)
• Ecological crisis, CO2 debate led to a structural crisis in the automotive industry due to shifts in demand
Comprehensive crisis for the capitalistic system
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Extent of the crisis
• Automobile sales in Europe stagnating at high level
• Increasing significance of Asian producers
• Growing unemployment• through accelerated streamlining• through dwindling opportunities for temporary employment• through insolvencies in the sector for components supply• through plant closures, e.g. Opel Antwerp• through accelerated concentration processes
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Gesamt Pkw
-
-
--
-
-
North America
+ 10 %
Asia/Pacific
UK
- 5 %
Germany
- 25%
- 1%
Spain
Italy
- 15%
Russia
+ 7 %
Western Europe
- 6 %
Worldwide passenger-car sales by regionForecast for 2010 against 2009 figures
- 11%
France
+4 %
Source: IG Metall, Volkswagen AG, own calculations
+ 6%
China
+ 23%
South America
+ 7 %
2009 = 52 million pass. cars in total2010 = 55 million pass. cars planned
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Social and ecological requirements
Goals of equal importance:
- Preventing unemployment
- Ecologically viable mobility propositions
New focus in Europe: Sustainable investment in employment and environment instead of devising rescue parachutes for banks
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Preventing unemployment
• Sustainable policies for industry that support transformation of the auto sector- Reduction of overcapacities- Safeguarding employment status quo through
development of new commercial fields- Training programmes
• Reduction of precarious forms of employment
• Reduction of working hours
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Ecologically viable mobility propositions
• Development and production of environment-friendly automobiles through lightweight construction and the use of regenerative sources of fuel, e.g. electric cars
• Development of concepts for ecologically viable mobility propositions
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Conditions needed to assert demands
• Transformation not as a threatening scenario for the workforce, but as an opportunity for sustainable protection of jobs and environment
• Transformation accompanied by training and social safeguards
• Transformation in one country not to the detriment of jobs in others (prevention of competition among sites)
• Transformation in concert with the workforce and trade unions (more co-determination)
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European Social Forum in Istanbul from 1 to 4 July 2010
Social Charter 1992
Charter of Labour Relations 200950 years of VW Law
20 years of Euro works councils
10 yeas of Group Global Works Council
International labour operations: the VW Group