LUDWIGSFELDE (dpa-AFX) - In view of feared cuts to the Mercedes plant in Ludwigsfelde, Brandenburg's Economics Minister Jorg Steinbach is intervening. The SPD politician told the German Press Agency: "I also want to make direct contact with the Group management in Stuttgart." According to IG Metall, there are fears of job cuts at the plant, which employs around 2,000 people, from 2030. Mercedes Sprinters are produced there. It is unclear exactly what will happen in 2030.

The wage dispute in the metal and electrical industry is currently continuing with warning strikes and demands for a wage increase of seven percent.

Minister: What will happen from 2030?

"Together with the trade unions, we have to help convince Mercedes to develop a clear and reliable concept for Ludwigsfelde beyond 2030 today," said Minister of Economic Affairs Steinbach. According to Mercedes, job security has been agreed at the plant until the end of 2029. The question is what will happen after 2030, said Steinbach. A "task force" has been set up at the plant for this purpose.

Mercedes refers to start-up factory for electric vans

Mercedes in Stuttgart referred to the development of a vision for the future together with the employee representatives. When asked whether job cuts were planned, the company did not provide any information. At the Ludwigsfelde plant, a so-called start-up factory for certain electric vans in the van division will also be set up, it said. The company is also planning to establish "a competence center for eVan customization" at the site.

Trade union fears major cuts

However, as the new all-electric Sprinter van from Mercedes will not be built in Ludwigsfelde, there are fears of job losses, said Tobias Kunzmann, First Representative of IG Metall Ludwigsfelde. He expects that there could be work for a few hundred employees from 2030. Kunzmann said that the number of employees could fall to 500.

Dissatisfaction felt among the workforce

According to the union, the management wants to face questions from the workforce on November 15. Kunzmann emphasized that dissatisfied voices were clearly audible among the workforce. "They are not satisfied with the impasse."

Mercedes produces cars, vans and components in Germany, Hungary, Romania, Spain and Poland. The car manufacturer suffered a slump in profits in the third quarter due to weakness in the important Chinese market./mow/DP/he