Tens of thousands Mercedes workers join protest against planned cuts

Tens of thousands of Mercedes-Benz workers protested across Germany on Friday against the carmaker's cost-cutting drive, with the IG Metall union warning of a "hot summer" of industrial action across the automotive sector.

Some 20,000 joined the protest in Sindelfingen, home to a key Mercedes plant just outside Stuttgart, where the carmaker's headquarters are located, according to union figures.

A Mercedes spokesman put the number of participants at 10,000.

Mercedes works council chief Ergun Lümali addressed the workforce at Gate 7 of the Sindelfingen plant. 

"The workforce does not agree with the executive board’s plans or the dismantling of the welfare state," Lümali had previously told dpa, accusing Mercedes management of looking to roll back hard-won achievements.

Workers at Mercedes are outraged over planned job cuts at the prestigious brand, which, like several German carmakers, is trying to become more competitive again amid a slump in demand, high energy costs and fierce competition from Chinese rivals.

The chief of the powerful IG Metall union, which represents workers across Germany's automotive sector, addressed protesters at an event in Dusseldorf.

"Anyone who wants to talk seriously about competitiveness must not focus on working conditions. The key to a strong automotive industry lies in investing in future-proof products, sites and employees," Christiane Benner told the crowd, according to a statement.

Rallies also took place at Mercedes sites in Untertürkheim, also near Stuttgart, as well as in Rastatt, Kuppenheim, Bremen, Berlin, Hamburg and Germersheim, with over 33,000 joining in total, according to IG Metall.

Mercedes put the total number at some 15,750, exempting the rally in Berlin.

The demonstrations are intended as the opening salvo in a broader campaign by the union.

"IG Metall and the workers at manufacturers and suppliers will give the bosses of the automotive industry a hot summer and autumn for as long as they continue to rely on job cuts and relocation instead of looking for real solutions," the union said ahead of the day of action.

Car manufacturers and suppliers had cut 50,000 jobs in the automotive industry last year - and would continue to do so if left to their own devices, the union said. 

"But they are forgetting one thing: Workers are not responsible for the crisis," the union said.

Responding to the protests, a Mercedes spokesman said: "We are assessing the work stoppages in accordance with the applicable legal and company regulations and remain committed to responsible dialogue."

Any impact on production could be swiftly mitigated thanks to the high level of flexibility at the plants, he added.

In a letter to employees in Germany at the end of last week, the Mercedes-Benz board of management had said that the company must "continue to reduce costs at high speed" in order to remain competitive on product prices. "Despite all our efforts, the situation in Germany today is dire," the letter states.

A special payment expected to be paid out to Mercedes' 108,000 workers in Germany in July has been delayed, with some 90,000 only to receive it next year in a bid to bring down costs immediately, according to the letter.

Management also plans to discuss an extension of working hours without compensation with the works council in the coming weeks.