Actions at car manufacturer VDL NedCar in Born seem inevitable, now that consultations about a social plan have broken down. When unions called for action in the past, the workers often stopped production in the Limburg factory.
On Tuesday, consultations about a social plan at NedCar broke down. That plan is urgent, because the contract between BMW and NedCar owner VDL for the production of MINIs in Limburg expires at the beginning of 2024. NedCar and the unions had started talking about an adjusted social plan last month, because the unions expect at least 2,400 employees of the company to be laid off later this year.
The unions announced that they are preparing actions at VDL NedCar. But the staff may not wait for that, FNV, CNV and the company’s works council warned the ANP news agency.
Largest employer in Limburg
Industrial group VDL will receive an ultimatum from the unions this Tuesday, after which it will have 24 or 48 hours to respond. “If they don’t, we have our hands free to take action. That will be sometime in the course of next week,” said FNV director Ron Peters. “I told the management: the anger among the staff is great. You run the risk of them running wild this week. Then don’t blame me!”
With 3,800 employees, VDL NedCar in Born is one of the largest employers in Limburg. VDL says in a response to ANP that the door has not been slammed shut by the company. A spokesperson for VDL does not call the attitude of the unions constructive. “We feel trapped,” he said. “We are quite prepared to make adjustments to the social plan from 2020 […] But then the demands of the unions must be reasonable. They want a doubling of the social plan, and that is not realistic.”
However, executive Will Kroonen of CNV Vakmensen equates the attitude of the management with complete closure of the factory. “The company is closing,” he says. He also does not rule out wild actions. “If there is still a social plan to come, then it must be in the first half of this year.” Chairman Abdel Lahssaini of the Works Council says he is very disappointed with the attitude of the VDL management. “People here are furious,” he says. “Wildcat strikes are imminent.”
Court intervention
NedCar staff protested in 2006 when then-owner Mitsubishi Motors attempted to withdraw. When Mitsubishi actually did that after ceasing production of the Outlander in 2012, actions were organized again. In 2019, new owner VDL only managed to prevent strikes with the intervention of the court, when NedCar workers wanted to join the national strike because of a wage dispute between employers and unions in the metal sector.
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To date, VDL has not been able to find a major new client for the factory in Born. An extension of the contract with BMW fell through and a contract with the American manufacturer Rivian fell through at the last minute. The unions blame the parent company from Eindhoven for the lack of a new contract: VDL would have overplayed their hand in the negotiations.
VDL is still in talks with car brands. Earlier this year, the company announced that it was in talks with German start-up Electric Brands and is still looking for other contracts.