During elections at major German automakers, the Zentrum association, which has ties to the far-right AfD party, expanded its influence modestly but noticeably. At Volkswagen’s Braunschweig plant, Zentrum secured two representatives (6.5%) for the first time. Although IG Metall remains the dominant force there with 78.5% of the vote, this represents a sharp decline from its 93% share in 2021. Zentrum also gained two seats (3.7%) at Audi in Ingolstadt for the first time. Furthermore, the right-wing “Freie Betriebsräte” alliance maintained its four seats at VW Zwickau and won four seats at the VW Chemnitz engine plant for the first time. Similarly, the “Beruf und Familie” list secured two seats at BMW Leipzig.
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.