Audi Debuts Supercar Amid Job-Cut Turmoil as German Courts Cement Works Council Power
27.06.2026 - 05:24:18 | boerse-global.de
The same week Volkswagen confirmed it could eliminate up to 100,000 positions worldwide, its premium subsidiary Audi rolled out a high-performance supercar aimed at reviving competitiveness. The Nuvolari, unveiled at a works assembly on June 24, was meant to signal ambition — but the gathering quickly turned into a clash over job security.
Audi’s works council demanded a clear site strategy and fresh investment commitments, explicitly rejecting any talk of closing the Neckarsulm plant. Personnel chief Xavier Ros pushed back, telling employees that past business models were no longer viable. Of the 6,000 job cuts Audi has planned through 2027, 4,500 have already been executed.
The deeper storm is at parent Volkswagen. According to media reports from June, the group is preparing to slash up to 100,000 jobs globally. Measures covering 37,000 positions have already been finalized. Four German factories — Hannover, Zwickau, Emden and Neckarsulm — are reportedly on the chopping block.
Union and worker representatives reacted furiously. IG Metall and Volkswagen’s works council issued a joint statement calling the plans “irresponsible threats” and “an attack on co-determination.” Christiane Benner, Thorsten Gröger and Daniela Cavallo vowed massive resistance. The state of Lower Saxony, a major VW shareholder, also came out against potential plant closures. The crucial boardroom decision is expected on July 9, when the supervisory board meets.
As German industry braces for a redistribution battle, a Berlin-Brandenburg labor court has reinforced the rights of works councils even when the employer is based abroad. The court blocked a Maltese airline with its corporate headquarters in Ireland from unilaterally changing work schedules at its Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER) site. The company had tried to alter rosters without consulting the works council and had shifted functions overseas. Judges ruled that German courts have international jurisdiction and that the works council was validly elected.
The ruling builds on a May 13 decision by the Federal Labor Court, which confirmed that the organizational unit at BER was eligible to elect a works council in the first place. The emergency injunction is final; no appeal is allowed.
Meanwhile, the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) entered the policy fray on June 26 with a pension concept that aims to lift the statutory pension level to 53% and make occupational pensions mandatory. The goal is to provide total retirement income of 70% to 90% of a worker’s last net earnings — without raising the statutory retirement age. The proposal positions the unions firmly on the side of stronger social safety nets as factory-floor conflicts escalate.
