Car News Report of German Filipino Friends
10-12-28 Share values of car firms fall.
The German Stock exchange show heavy crashes of the shares of car firms. It seems to be connected with reactions on the news from China reporting expexed production decline. Peking aims at reducing the issues of new car permits in the new year.
11-01-20 Care prices going up beyond usual rise.
The costs for use and upkeep of cares went up during 2010 beyond the average increase of the cost of living (1.1%) . Car costs rose to 3,7% according to ADAC.
11-01-26 Dacia-Renault: Protests against petrol prices
On Tuesday 300 workers of Dacia-Renault firm in Mioveni, Romania protested against the crisis government programme with enormous cuts of wages and tax increases.
11-02-10 Tariff-agreement by Volkswagen
IG Metall and the board of VW agreed on a new wage scale. This agreement includes a single payment of 1% of the annual wage, at least 500 Euros for February and March and then an increase of 3,2%.
VW has fostered very much the exploitation of the workers. VW had a record profit of 4 Billion for the first nine months 20110. The sale rose to 7 Million cars in 2010, especially on account of export. VM invests billions to buy out Suzuki, to fusion with MAN and Scania as well as new plants in China as well as investments to rationalize the production. According to the shop steward Becker at Kassel, the productivity was raised during the last five years by annually 10%..
The workers are forced to work at limits of the energy. VW follows their Strategy 2018 to overtake Toyota as No one. In 2009 Toyota was the world wide largest investor with 6,8 Billion Euro, compared with VW 5,8 Billion Euro. Now VW aims at investing 52 Billion up to 2018 plus 10 Billion together with the partners in China to oust Toyota.
11-02-11 Renault plans a production rise of 15%
Until 2013 the French firm aims at selling yearly three Million cars world wide, an increase of 15% of the record sale last year. It aims also of increasing the profit to five %
11-01-07 Fiat tries to bear down the struggling trade unions
The Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne has with threatening to close down the Fiat main plant Mirafiori at Turin forced the workforce of 5,431 workers to accept a wage agreement of his dictation. Before this Fiat withdrew from the national Metal-Tariff-agreement and had left the employers union in order to make individual agreements with each worker. This includes the acceptance of a six day working week and if necessary a 10 hours shift including up to 200 extra hours over time, shorter breaks and lower wages. Already now the wages are 1,200 Euro average, much below what other European car workers earn. Participation on Strike leads to immediate expulsion. The first day of sick leave will not be paid for as before.
Only unions accepting this agreement are allowed but have no rights in wage agreement arrangements.
In this way Fiat tries to suppress any opposition to its exploitation offensive with which the firm wants to overcome the results of the world wide crisis of the economy. Last year Fiat car sale in Europe went down by 5%. And together with the other trade marks belonging to Fiat Alfa Romeo and Lancia the profit decreased even by 17%.
In fact at the same time production had been moved to other countries. Fiat builds a new plant in Pernambucoo, Brasilia. As from 2014 a yearly production of 200,000 cars is aimed at. Shortly after this agreement the whole workforce of Mirafiori was set to work shorter hours for a whole year..
This agreement means a drastic downgrading of the strike rights for which the Italian workers had fought so long. This is challenge not only for the Fiat-workforce but all militant union movements to oppose this agreement.
11-01-28 Fiat-workers in Italy on strike
Today all Fiat workers went on strike for eight hours. In Turin, Milano and other towns thousand went on strike against these attempts of Fiat to enforce their programme. According to the union FIOM many workers took part in the strike. The Monday Demo at Bochum agreed on a declaration of solidarity on 24th January. Stating “ with anger we take notice how in Italy the workers right are to be wrecked again, Liquidation of the wage agreements and the abolition of the legally fixed rights to strike is the aim of the Fiat firm. The workers in Europa and world wide must not accept such breach of rights. Solidarity across boundaries is called for today. Do not submit to this doings”.
11-02-04 Opel plans to dismiss many workers.
General Motors (GM) plans to reduce the work force at the European plant Opel. It will hit especially Opel Bochum where by Mid 2011 from some 4800 jobs only 2800 jobs will be left over.
The right answer to this threat is to prepare and organize a joint struggle of all Opel workforces. Yet this struggle must not follow the idea of the chief shopsteward Rainer Einenkel, who only aims at saving the trade mark “Opel” by playing the Bochum plant against Ruesselsheim and contract workers against ordinary jobs.
11-02-11 Enormous movements to demonstrate power
On account of these crisis investments the power even of the traditional car- giants has changed. The US Car firms, especially GM are on the loosing side, Japanese firms and last not least VW have won space.
In 2000, GM and Ford/Mazda had a share of 38,2 % on the world market. In 2009 only 20,1%.
The six largest Car producing groups dominated in 2000 still 74% of the world market. In 2005 their production decreased to 53%.
The other producers will be eventually act in China and India. 2009 China alone built 55% more cars than in 2007, while in USA in the same time the car production was 47% down. China will be the biggest car producer be in 22010 with all together 14 Millions before Japan with 9 Million cars.
Amongst the 50 biggest car producers as far as the number of cars is reckoned already 21 firms are from China with some 6,78 Million cars.
Some 46% of the whole German economic production in 2010 was exported, two thirds alone being car products. The German Car producers exported in 2010 worldwide 4,3 Million cars, 24% more than in 2009, yet still below the highest export quote from 2007. Most of this exported cars (68%) went to the other European countries, the rest mostly to USA.
Rote Fahne 6/2011 11.02.11