Continental closes work in Wetzlar: 360 jobs in danger!

Continental closes work in Wetzlar: 360 jobs in danger!

The decision of Continental to close the work in Wetzlar puts the employees there in a state of shock rigidity. Around 360 of the 430 employees will lose their jobs. This drastic measure had been decided for months and has now become a reality. The originally announced 160 layoffs and 220 job offers in Frankfurt were withdrawn. The relocation of 80 jobs to Babenhausen was also deleted. The works council chairman Jörg Seidler said horrified and explained that the hope of the employees was finally destroyed. Only around 30 employees should move to Frankfurt, with the works council even going out of only 18. In addition, 41 trainees are affected by the closure.

Continental emphasizes that the decision is due to the “difficult situation in the automotive industry”. This is reflected in a current survey by the IFO Institute. The mood in the German automotive industry has reached a low; The mood barometer fell from -28.6 in October to -32.1 in November 2024. More and more companies, including Continental, are forced to dismantle or close works. The company said that it would be a socially acceptable solution for the employees concerned. The armaments group Hensoldt in Wetzlar has already signaled interest in taking over some employees.

comprehensive closure plans

parallel to the closure in Wetzlar, the work in Schwalbach will also be closed until the end of the year. While parts of the workforce should move to Frankfurt or Babenhausen there, a worrying balance is announced: these two closings bring the total number of job cancellations in Hesse to around 1,400. Around 2,300 of the approximately 8,000 employees in the Continental works are affected in the Rhein-Main region. In addition to the administration, the areas of research and development are particularly affected.

The closure of Continental in Wetzlar is accompanied by intensive criticism by IG Metall and local politics. These have accused the company of acting haphaeless and shabby. Information policy in particular is described as inadequate. IG Metall calls for the Wetzlar location and is disappointed with the closure plans. In addition, the condition of the industry itself becomes clear, because more than 7,000 jobs worldwide are eliminated in all areas of Continental, which is part of a consolidation program. This strives for a reduction in administrative costs by 400 million euros by 2025.

crisis -related background

The auto industry in Germany is currently in crisis mode. Restructures, factory closures and massive job cuts are repeatedly reported. Companies such as Ford, Bosch and Renault have also announced job cuts. Both Opel and VW have promised production reductions or even decommissioning their works. The pressure on the automobile manufacturers is growing and the entire industry has to deal with falling sales and a challenging economic environment.