The Volkswagen works council criticised the executive board for suggesting plant closures and threatening job security, as Volkswagen's Chief Financial Officer says the company may not survive the transition to electric cars unless it cuts costs.
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00:00The Volkswagen Works Council criticized the executive board in a meeting held at the Wartburg plant on Wednesday.
00:08An estimated 16,000 VW plant workers turned up for the meeting.
00:14Chairperson Daniela Cavallo blamed the executive board for not doing its job and said that labor costs are not the problem.
00:30Volkswagen say that the company may not survive the transition to electric cars unless it cuts costs following a deteriorating economy and stiff competition from China.
01:00We expect from the board, as we have always done, that we find solutions on how to deal with the issue of economy because it is clear to us as an executive board that if we don't earn money, we can't afford the investment and we can't organize the future.
01:19These possible plant closures are another strike for the current coalition government as the German economy is largely dependent on the car industry.
01:28But this could be an opportunity for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose popularity has plummeted over the past few years due to inter-party squabbling between him and his coalition partners.
01:40Scholz could use this crisis to showcase his leadership skills and implement policies that ensure a smoother transition to electric vehicles.
01:51Liv Stroud, in Berlin, for Euronews.