ZF Koblenz Workers Trade Job Cuts for a Guarantee: No Forced Redundancies Until 2029
Published on 09/27/2026 at 12:02 | Editorial boerse-global.de
A year of bargaining at automotive supplier ZF's Koblenz plant ended on 23 September 2026 with a deal that buys the workforce time rather than promising growth. The agreement, formally titled "Bündnis Koblenz" (Alliance Koblenz), was ratified by IG Metall members on the day it was announced, with 99 percent voting in favour.
What the contract locks in
At its core, the collective agreement guarantees the site will remain in operation until at least the end of 2031. Compulsory redundancies are ruled out until 31 December 2029, and the contract holds out the possibility of extending that protection to 30 June 2030 if certain conditions are met. For a workforce navigating a period of industrial upheaval, the union and works council present the package as a source of stability and a clear medium-term outlook.
The cuts that were already coming
The deal did not emerge from calm waters. ZF had announced in September 2025 that roughly 500 jobs would go at Koblenz as part of wider restructuring. Avoiding forced dismissals while shedding those positions relies on a bundle of instruments: severance payments, partial retirement arrangements, and so-called pension bridges for older employees. Staff who leave the company can also move into a transfer company (Transfergesellschaft), a German model that keeps workers employed while they look for new roles.
Participants in the transfer company receive 85 percent of their previous net pay. The arrangement, financed in part through transfer short-time working allowance from the Federal Employment Agency, can run for up to twelve months.
A slice of the plant changes hands
Alongside the internal restructuring, ZF's driver assistance systems division is being sold to Harman, a subsidiary of Samsung, for around 1.5 billion euros. Roughly 300 Koblenz employees will move to the new owner as part of that transaction.
Development department still waiting
One part of the site sits largely outside the settlement. According to reports, no concrete plan has yet been put in place for the developers based at Koblenz. While production and other areas are covered by the Bündnis Koblenz agreement, a detailed future concept for the development unit is still outstanding.
