“Future Osnabrück”: Public transport instead of tanks – for a civilian future at the VW Osnabrück site!

dossier

“In Osnabrück, around 2,300 employees produce cars at the Volkswagen site. But production is only secured until 2027 - what comes after that is still unclear. There is talk of subsequently using the plant for armaments production. Rheinmetall in particular is apparently interested in taking over the plant. Osnabrück is therefore representative of two general trends: firstly, the concern of employees in the ailing auto industry for their jobs, secondly, the increase in military production. ROBIN WOOD activists have already set an example in Osnabrück. With a climbing campaign they demanded: public transport instead of tanks - don't build jobs on war! ROBIN WOOD is committed to preserving the Osnabrück location and using it for a social-ecological mobility transition…”Robin Wood's campaign page and now this tooAction network “Future Osnabrück” – see more information and background information:

• VW Osnabrück becomes a “competence center for security and defense solutions”: BR and IGM welcome takeover by Aurelius – “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” ends the transformation campaign amid criticism
  • Now the real work begins! Osnabrück remains an industrial location
    “The Volkswagen works council and IG Metall welcome the agreed key points for the future of the VW location. Now it's about bringing more industrial projects to Osnabrück and, if possible, giving all colleagues good prospects for future opportunities.
    The future of the Volkswagen Osnabrück site is taking shape. With the key points agreed today for the transition of Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH into a new company, an important step has been achieved. This opens up a concrete opportunity for the local works council and IG Metall to preserve Osnabrück as an industrial location. However, the entire workforce has not yet reached its goal - but it can create a perspective for a very large proportion, namely around three quarters of the current number of employees. (…)
    The planned development into a competence center for security and defense solutions can create an important industrial basis for this. The announced collaboration with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems would be an initial anchor project. From the perspective of the works council and IG Metall, what is now crucial is to bring further projects and partnerships to Osnabrück and thus secure long-term industrial value creation in the city and the region. (…)
    “The colleagues here have shown many times in their history that they are capable of change,” says Jürgen Placke, chairman of the works council at Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH. "The takeover of our plant by Aurelius and the state of Lower Saxony is a first great success. I am proud of our workforce, who did not bury their heads in the sand, but rather worked hard for their future. As employee representatives, we have ensured that collective bargaining within the metal and electrical industry will be maintained for our colleagues in the future. In addition, securing employment up to and including 2029 provides a good deal of security and planning. It is our first job security since the takeover by VW “Our goal now is to bring more projects to the site that will guarantee employment for all employees.” (…)
    The solution now in place offers a future for almost 1,400 of the current total of 1,800 employees - and thus provides around three quarters of the workforce with a job prospect. Minus a further reduction in the workforce in the near future, for example through retirement and partial retirement, the current target size for the new competence center is around 1,200 positions. This number of 1,200 will also be guaranteed employment until the end of 2029. This is the first job security at the location since the Karmann bankruptcy and the takeover by Volkswagen around 16 years ago…”Press release from September 7th, 2026 from IG Metall Osnabrück 
  • VW: Social-ecological production change was missed! Networking “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” criticizes the takeover of the VW factory by the arms company
    “Activists from the “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” network sharply criticize the fact that VW and the Lower Saxony state government have paved the way for the production of war equipment in the peace city of Osnabrück – instead of ecologically sensible goods such as minibuses. Today a declaration of intent was concluded between the state of Lower Saxony, Volkswagen and an investor. The first project in the factory will be to produce military equipment from the Israeli company Rafael. "Volkswagen and the state of Lower Saxony sought to hand over the plant to the defense industry. There were proposals to democratize production and switch to minibuses for local public transport," says Annika Fuchs, specialist for mobility at ROBIN WOOD. "However, VW has not seriously explored such civilian alternatives. The bottom line is that the sale will now cost hundreds of jobs."
    "It is particularly bitter that the local IG Metall and the works council also see the only way to 'secure jobs' in an arms conversion. It is clear that this creates path dependencies towards the war economy - and thus work also becomes dependent on wars being waged worldwide," adds Andreas Buderus from the "Say No!" campaign.
    With today's action, the “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” network is ending its campaign for a social-ecological transformation of the Osnabrück VW plant…”Joint press release from “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” and ROBIN WOOD from September 7, 2026 
  • 50,000 jobs gone – and armaments as an “alternative”? – VW Osnabrück shows what threatens other plants
    “…The employees should pay the bill. What are the “other solutions”? “Alternative uses” should be sought for works without secured follow-up production. We are currently experiencing what something like this can look likeOsnabruck. The previous VW factory goes to the arms company Rafael . The message suddenly becomes: lose your job – or produce weapons. We do not accept this choice. What is happening to Osnabrück today can threaten other plants tomorrow. If civilian production is reduced under pressure to make returns and at the same time billions are invested in armaments, the defense industry quickly becomes the supposed savior of jobs.
    First, civilian jobs will be destroyed. Then war production is offered as a salvation. In this way, employees and entire regions are made economically dependent on rearmament and war. (…)
    We also have to fight for WHAT is produced in our factories. Not tanks, rockets and other military equipment, but what is needed by society: public transport, affordable mobility, energy and transport transition, civil and ecologically sensible products. Secure jobs and sensible civilian production belong together. Osnabrück must therefore be a warning: If we wait until the board, owners and politicians have decided, in the end only their “alternatives” remain...”Update from September 7th, 2026 to the petition Say No! Trade unionists against war, militarism and civil peace
  • Currently see also this: Dossier:Clear-cutting at VW from 2024? Car manufacturer plans billions in cuts to increase “efficiency”.
• Dispute over armament plans for the VW Osnabrück site
  “Lower Saxony is supposed to mediate between the Israeli arms company Rafael and Volkswagen in order to calm Qatar. Peace groups are against it. (…)
  IG Metall seems divided
  Supporters of the German-Israeli deal point out that Iron Dome is not an offensive weapon. It consists of a detection radar, a battle management system and the launch pads for guided missiles. It is not these rockets that are to be built in Osnabrück, but rather heavy trucks for transporting them, as well as launchers and power generators.This would suit IG Metall, which, according to its statutes, advocates “peace, disarmament and international understanding,” but appears to be divided in the VW crisis: Stephan Soldanski, the union’s first representative in Osnabrück, told the “Cellesche Zeitung” that although he is a pacifist, arms production at VW would still be compatible with this attitude for him. However, two dozen IG Metall workers had already called for “No to the conversion to a war economy” in March, demanding that the union behave in accordance with its statutory goals. (…) The “Rausmetall!” initiative, which was originally founded against earlier Rheinmetall plans for the VW site in Osnabrück, is also protesting against the negotiations with Rafael. In actions, the activists also target the former mayor and current defense minister Pistorius. For example, the Osnabrück war memorial “Heger Tor” was decorated with the inscription “Warworthy? Not with us!” In another campaign, a bronze sculpture in the River Hare containing a dildo and a mask was redesigned to represent Pistorius.”Article by Matthias Monroy from September 3rd, 2026 in ND online 
• The arms company Rafael enters production at Volkswagen in Osnabrück shortly before completion? No armament and no arms export in Osnabrück!
  • Returns through armaments and arms exports are not a sustainable concept: Volkswagen and the VW factory in Osnabrück must remain civilian!
    “The situation is getting worse at VW. With the threat of reducing excess capacity, the company is considering a return to the defense business in order to avoid “factory closures” – CEO Blume calls this “intelligent methods”. For the sake of returns, components for military equipment and combat systems should now come off the production line instead of civilian commercial vehicles. Unfortunately, the fact that a business partner is being considered who is deeply involved in the quagmire of the international arms trade only leads to the conclusion: This is not about preserving jobs, but about preserving returns at all costs, be it through deadly products.
    The future partner Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which already builds and exports anti-tank weapons in Germany with Dynamit Nobel Defense in Würgendorf, is one of the main suppliers to the Israeli military - and not just for defense systems. Action Outcry – Stop the arms trade! has repeatedly criticized arms exports to the Middle East and Israel. We have pointed out the danger that weapons and armaments will be used not only for defense, but also for oppression and human rights violations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. “It should be made clear that cooperation with key players in the Israeli arms industry also constitutes active support for the violent conflict in the Middle East - all partners have a high moral responsibility here,” emphasizes Jürgen Grässlin, spokesman for Aktion Aufschrei – Stop the arms trade! and federal spokesman for the DFG-VK.
    The VW Group can also imagine developing and building for the military market again on a larger scale. According to reports, they have been working on the development of a military pick-up and a transporter for some time. Both are vehicle types for highly mobile modern warfare. Andreas Seifert, coordinator of the Aufschrei campaign, warns: "The peace city of Osnabrück, which stands for the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 and thus for the peaceful negotiation of conflicts, is becoming a place of armaments and a starting point for arms exports. Is this about peace or about returns at any price?" There is local resistance to these plans. And there are civilian alternatives to it. “The path to armament is the wrong path and does neither justice to the symbolic location nor to the responsibility and history of the VW Group,” says Seifert.
    The demands of Aktion Aufschrei are: No armament and no arms export in Osnabrück! Find peaceful and sustainable civilian alternatives for the plant!“Communication for the media from August 31, 2026 from Aktion Aufschrei and the background:
  • Israel deal for VW Osnabrück on the home stretch – signature before the local elections? Volkswagen shareholder Qatar is tricked by new design
    “A few days before the local elections, one of the most important decisions for the Osnabrück business location in years could be made: Negotiations regarding the entry of the Israeli defense company Rafael into production at the Volkswagen Osnabrück site are now well advanced. According to a recent report by the Bloomberg news agency, an agreement could be signed as early as September. The state of Lower Saxony should play a decisive role in this, indirectly becoming a weapons producer itself. (…)
    The production plans that have now been described in more detail also match what HASEPOST had already reported in July: The actual rockets of the Israeli “Iron Dome” air defense system are apparently not to be manufactured in Osnabrück. According to Bloomberg, it is more about heavy trucks to transport the missiles, launchers, power generators and other support equipment for the air defense system…”Article by Heiko Pohlmann from August 29, 2026 in Hasepost 
• Retooling car factories in times of crisis: It depends on who buys what they produce
  “Trains, heat pumps, public transport… The idea of ​​converting automobile belts remains a peculiarity of the German debate for the time being
  At Volkswagen, 100,000 of 660,000 jobs worldwide are at risk. Can these factories build something other than cars — durable, useful and profitable goods? Technically yes, and for a long time. Economically, the answer depends on a single actor: the one who is willing to bear the demand risk over the long term.
  Proposals for a civilian transition have been around for thirty years
  The IG Metall union has long been pursuing the idea of ​​converting part of automobile production to public transport, combined with a reduction in working hours with wage compensation. The tradition goes back to the 1990s: The union, together with associations such as the NGO BUND (Bund for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany), has already campaigned for a realignment of the auto industry in the face of the climate crisis. Since the collective agreements of 2006 and 2009, Volkswagen Salzgitter has had an innovation fund with an annual allocation of 20 million euros, with which the works council independently selects and finances alternative projects.
  The Osnabrück plant, where automobile production is scheduled to end in 2027, is already producing components for local public transport. There is therefore an industrial base for this type of production on site.But the transition to armaments is progressing most quickly (…)
  Technical feasibility is rarely the limiting factor
  An automobile plant is not a block that can be converted from one piece. It stacks separable capabilities, each with its own degree of transferability: presses for sheet metal forming, body-in-white welding and assembly lines, paint shop, powertrain precision machining, final assembly, and a design office specializing in cost-controlled mass development. Depending on the target product, some of these capabilities can be almost completely reused, while others remain unused.
  The sales channel closest to the core business - the one that reuses almost all of the equipment - is a different vehicle than the one originally intended for the plant: whether a bus, truck, rail vehicle or... a military vehicle. An armored vehicle goes through forming, welding, painting, powertrain and assembly: its industrial proximity to automobiles partly explains its appeal for those interested in armaments, regardless of the financing issue. (…)
  Examined along two axes – feasibility based on existing assets and profitability channel – the options fall into five main categories.
  Electric buses and public transport vehicles. The path closest to the core business (bodywork, assembly, painting), staged by the activists in Osnabrück with their van repainted as a bus. High feasibility, high benefit. On the open market the weak point is measurable (…)
  In other words, public money is available on both sides, including for civil transport and the decarbonization that the eco-pacifist wing of the union demands. It remains to be understood why the military conversion of a location like Osnabrück is progressing faster than its railway conversion, even though the railways also have tens of billions in public contracts... The difference between civil and military lies in the order structure, not in the volume. (…)
  The “green” conversion proposals exist, they are old and technically credible. Nevertheless, in Osnabrück as elsewhere, they are losing the race against the military transition. The cause is not industrial. It lies in the way the German state has structured public demand: uncapped and steerable to a specific location for defense, abundant but channeled through open tenders for civil rail, which are won by the historical top dogs and in which a location to be converted is out of the question.
  What the Osnabrück employees will produce tomorrow depends neither on what their machines can do nor on the hypothetical market superiority of armaments. It depends on which public demand channel the state decides to connect to their plant. The eco-pacifist wing of IG Metall demands what is useful; This useful thing is feasible, and for rail it is even massively financed - less clearly for buses or heat pumps, for which no separate public contract of this magnitude is documented today; but the existing funding is not directed to a converted location, whereas that for armaments can. This connection is an industrial policy decision. It is decided, not determined…”Article by Fausto Giudice from July 19, 2026 on Germany pale mother mainly but not only using the example of VW Osnabrück
• Art action as a “politically motivated crime”: Public prosecutor’s office initiates house search in the area of ​​“Rausmetall” and “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück”
  • Is Pistorius now also a “dick”?
    “Public prosecutor's office initiates house search because suspects wanted to portray defense minister "as a perverted warmongering politician"
    "After a protest against the possible military use of the Volkswagen factory in Osnabrück, the police state security searched a housing project in the municipality of Bissendorf in the Osnabrück district on Wednesday. According to the police, clothing and a laptop were seized.
    The background to the measure is an action from January: opponents of the automotive company's progressive militarization had provided a sculpture in the Hase River with a dildo and a mask that shows the face of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). The judiciary considers this to be a punishable insult and is investigating according to Section 188 of the Criminal Code, which particularly punishes insults to politicians and officials. The allegations also include slander and slander.
    Franziska F. and Ruben G. are "suspected of having stolen a raft, acting in concert," according to the search warrant from the Osnabrück district court. And further: "With this raft they then went downstream to the Fountain of Wishes sculpture located in the Hase and attached an oversized pink phallus there and a photo of Boris Pistorius over the face." A sign "War-crazy Pistorius" and "a banner with a painted war scene" were also attached to a bridge…”Interview by Hanna Poddig from April 16, 2026 in ND online with photos of the action, see:
  • State security searches an apartment building in the Osnabrück district
    “State security investigators searched an apartment building in Bissendorf (Osnabrück district) on Wednesday. According to the Osnabrück police, the reason is ongoing investigations against a 29-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman. According to the police, the accused are believed to be associated with a politically motivated group from the left-wing scene that operates under the names “Rausmetall” and “Zukunftswerk”. Specifically, they are accused of being involved when the “Fountain of Wishes” sculpture – better known as Manneken Pis – in the Hase in downtown Osnabrück was damaged last January. A penis was strapped to the figure and a mask of Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) was put on. They are also said to have been involved in political graffiti in the Heger Tor area. The suspects were not present during the search, but police recovered evidence, including a laptop…”NDR report from April 16, 2026 
  • Osnabrück/Bissendorf: Searches in connection with politically motivated crimes – “Rausmetall” and “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” in focus
    “On Wednesday morning, state security investigators searched an apartment building in Bissendorf. The measure was based on a decision by the Osnabrück District Court. The measures are related to investigations into suspected defamation and insults as well as damage to property. The investigation is currently directed against a 29-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman. The accused are associated with a politically motivated group that goes by the name “Rausmetall” and “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” and is active in the Osnabrück area.The accused are accused of being involved in damage to the bronze sculpture “Fountain of Wishes” in the Hase on January 16, 2026. The investigation is also focusing on paint graffiti in the Heger Tor area. As part of the search, investigators from the Osnabrück Police State Security Office seized various pieces of evidence, including the perpetrator's clothing and a laptop…”Report from the Osnabrück police station from April 15, 2026 
• For a social-ecological conversion at VW Osnabrück: posters from Zukunftswerk in Osnabrück and protest action by ROBIN WOOD at the state parliament in Hanover
  • Protest action at the state parliament in Hanover: For a social-ecological conversion at VW Osnabrück
    “The Lower Saxony state government should work for a socially and environmentally friendly conversion of the VW plant in Osnabrück. This is what ROBIN WOOD activists are demanding today with a banner campaign in front of the main entrance to the Lower Saxony state parliament in Hanover. Climbers stretched a banner between lampposts in front of the main entrance with the inscription: “Osnabrück can turn around traffic – take responsibility!” Other posters bore messages such as “Public transport instead of tanks” and appeals to Prime Minister Olaf Lies to use his voting rights on the supervisory board responsibly. ROBIN WOOD also wrote a letter to Olaf Lies, Julia Willie Hamburg and the state parliament's economic committee with demands and an offer to talk. (…) "Today we demand that the state government no longer watch as jobs in the auto industry are lost without replacement or end up in the hands of defense companies. Prime Minister Olaf Lies and Minister of Education Julia Willie Hamburg, as members of the VW supervisory board, bear responsibility for the future of the VW Osnabrück site. They must now campaign for a social-ecological restructuring of the auto industry!", says ROBIN WOOD mobility officer Annika Fuchs. Lower Saxony holds 20 percent of the voting rights in the VW Group. (…) “VW and the Lower Saxony state government are relying on the arms industry.Building the future on war increases the profits of defense companies, but does not create secure jobs and harms climate protection! “We remind the state government of its responsibility in the face of the escalating climate crisis,” says ROBIN WOOD activist Krischan Müller and demands: “Take action now and don’t make Osnabrück an armaments location, but rather a pilot project for a social-ecological mobility transition!“Press release from Robin Wood dated March 30, 2026 
  • Spectacular action against arms conversion at the VW Osnabrück plant: Posters from Zukunftswerk: “Conversion to armaments does not guarantee jobs”
    “An Osnabrück group that has recently attracted attention due to its commitment to opposing the conversion of the VW factory into an arms factory is the Zukunftswerk, which was founded in the summer of last year. As an association of individuals, but also groups such as Fridays for Future, Robin Wood, Likos or Ofri, the Zukunftswerk sees itself as a pioneer for a civil future for Osnabrück's industry. A sensational idea from the group is the partial covering of the Heger Tor with a yellow poster, most recently on March 24th.
    The news that Rheinmetall has now expressed its disinterest in taking over the plant does not mean that the fight for civilian use is over. Armaments companies such as the German-French KNDS, which, for example, took over Alstom's tram and wagon factory in Görlitz, are also interested in Osnabrück, even if they sometimes only offer a negligible number of jobs. The symbolic blockade of Gate 2, also on March 24th, was also aimed at them. Activists covered a delivery truck with painted posters that made it look like a bus - a bus that could be produced at the factory instead of armaments, and parked it across the entrance to Gate 2. (...)During the symbolic blockade of Gate 2 last Tuesday, however, it became clear at the shift change: the level of disinterest of the Osnabrück workers on the way home was hard to beat. The work of the future will not run out of persuasion any time soon.
    MoreThere are pictures of the Zukunftswerk's actions in my blog .”Article by Toni Theilmeier from March 29, 2026 in the Osnabrücker Rundschau online 
• Rearmament at any price: “Places of rearmament” and the Osnabrück future work as a concrete struggle
  “This article appeared in the March issue of the IMI magazine Expression, in which, among other things, the contributions from the last IMI congress “Refuse a military republic!” are included…”Post by Tobi Rosswog on March 24, 2026 at IMI 
• VW in Osnabrück: From convertible to army pick-up to missile defense? According to rumors about KNDS, alleged negotiations with the Israeli Rafael Group
  • Missile defense from Osnabrück: According to a media report, Volkswagen is negotiating arms cooperation with the Israeli Rafael Group. IG Metall takes action, the base calls for resistance
    “Still a Volkswagen today. Maybe soon people's weapons? According to a media report, Europe's leading car manufacturer is considering entering into the production of components for Israel's "Iron Dome" missile shield. Corresponding negotiations between the VW Group management and the defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are underway, the British Financial Times (FT) wrote on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the events. The focus is on the factory in Osnabrück, which is threatened with closure and is scheduled to stop producing the T-Roc Cabrio model by mid-2027. Management has been looking for a “future perspective” for some time, while 2,300 employees are worried about their jobs.
    They may soon be working in the war industry. Converting the facility to military use requires comparatively little investment and is possible within twelve to 18 months, according to the FT article. However, the prerequisite is that the workforce gives the green light for the project. It would be a turning point. That's why the reassurance is made: No rockets should be manufactured in Osnabrück because weapons production is a "taboo" according to VW's statutes. Instead, Rafael wants carrier vehicles, starting devices and power generators, which the Wolfsburg-based company is apparently very willing to supply. Motto: No projectiles, yes launch pads.
    "To act as if this isn't real armor is window dressing," says Lotte Herzberg from the Osnabrück Peace Works Initiative. »Profit has no morality. The VW bosses are taking everything they can get," she complained to Junge Welt: "International arms industry from the peace city of Osnabrück - that is a complete ideological sell-out. It is high time for our colleagues at VW to take to the streets together with the city's society!” The activist calls it “regrettable” that the metal industry union (IGM) “does not show a clear stance against the war economy.” The IGM leadership is maneuvering. The board initially did not want to comment on the possible Rafael deal. To this end, the press office sent a message full of phrases: “We are not taking part in rumors and speculation,” the important thing is “that viable industrial prospects emerge for the plant.”…”Article by Ralf Wurzbacher in the Junge Welt from March 26, 2026 
  • “According to the Financial Times, Volkswagen is in talks with the Israeli maker of the Iron Dome over a deal that would switch production at one of their plants from cars to missile defense.The German government actively supports this proposal.” EnglishPost from Human Rights Index from March 24, 2026 on bsky 
  • Arms production at VW in Osnabrück: From convertible to army pick-up
    “Convertible production at the VW Osnabrück plant will end in 2027. The group is examining new perspectives: military vehicles and cooperation with the defense industry. (…) The uncertainty is causing criticism among the workforce. The speculation about possible military or armaments production put the employees under pressure, said Stephan Soldanski, first representative of IG Metall in Osnabrück, to the German Press Agency in December. According to the action network, at the works meeting Soldanski urged employees not to take part in anti-militarist actions. He called for people not to speak to activists or the press under any circumstances and claimed that such “disruptive fires” were harmful in the fight for future jobs, writes the action network. Soldanski left a taz query about this unanswered…”Article by Robert Matthies from March 23, 2026 in the taz online 
  •  See also the current onesCollection of signatures from IG Metall colleagues, shop stewards and works council members from various VW plants: No to the conversion to a war economy!– There was no one from the Volkswagen factory in Osnabrück among the first signatories
• VW works council chairwoman is open to armaments at the Osnabrück plant and must remain flexible: Rheinmetall waves it off, the Dutch arms company KNDS shows interest
  • Armaments company KNDS could join VW in Osnabrück
    “According to information from NDR Lower Saxony, the Dutch arms company KNDS is interested in the VW plant in Osnabrück. This has not yet been officially confirmed.
    However, NDR learned from VW company circles that discussions about the arms company joining the Osnabrück-based car manufacturer have been ongoing for a long time. Accordingly, KNDS could rent parts of the factory and possibly produce armored personnel carriers there…”Report from March 16, 2026 on NDR 
  • Rheinmetall rules out takeover of VW plant in Osnabrück
    “The arms company Rheinmetall does not want to take over the VW factory in Osnabrück. This means that the most important interested party so far is eliminated. The prospects for the Osnabrück location are uncertain.
    A Rheinmetall spokesman said on Thursday that taking over the plant in Osnabrück would not be an issue for the group under the given conditions. Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger had already hinted at this decision at a DAX group press conference on Wednesday. The location was under discussion for the production of six-wheeled wheeled tanks. “However, no further capacity is currently required here,” said the spokesman. There is rather an increased demand for eight-wheeled wheeled tanks. That's why Rheinmetall is now expanding its capacities in Kassel, according to the arms company…”Report from March 16, 2026 on NDR 
  • Volkswagen: works council chairwoman gone astray
    “The Porsche Piëch clan is flirting with the arms industry. Volkswagen management is considering building military vehicles at the factory in Osnabrück in the future - works council boss Daniela Cavallo also sees this as an option to secure the factory.
    Armament doesn't secure anything - except the profits of the Porsche Piëch clan.
    VW has an inglorious but very long tradition of such production. (…) Volkswagen was once created for the Nazi ideology of the people and company community, for armaments and war preparation. The war criminal and SS Oberführer Ferdinand Porsche and his son-in-law Anton Piëch, NSDAP member, were responsible for the murderous exploitation of tens of thousands of prisoners of war and concentration camp slaves. Articles 14/15 were also included in the Basic Law to limit the power of corporations, and co-determination was anchored in many laws - particularly in the case of Volkswagen in the VW Act. (…) The statutes of IG Metall state: It is committed to the free-democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany and is committed to securing and expanding the social constitutional state and the further democratization of the economy, state and society, to peace, disarmament and international understanding and the protection of the natural environment to secure the existence of humanity. ... democratization of the economy while keeping neo-fascist, militaristic and reactionary elements away. (…) In August 2025, a spokesman for the group works council explained that starting with the production of war weapons or ordnance was not an option from the perspective of the employee representatives.… “This is not only for corporate strategy and technological reasons, but not least for ethical reasons given the background of Volkswagen’s corporate history.” (WAZ, August 19, 2025) The Porsche-Piëch clan is now closing car factories (including in Dresden, Brussels and Nanjing) and looking for new investments in the armaments industry (…) The Osnabrück newspaper reports on the works meeting at the Osnabrück plant on March 5, 2026 as follows: The works council and the union are “not necessarily keen” on producing armaments in Osnabrück, as Soldanski says. But if the offer existed and jobs were secured with it, the employee representatives would take immediate action. The employee representatives expressly do not share the criticism from pacifists that the Peace City should not open up to arms production. Securing jobs is a priority for them. (…) The statutes of IG Metall state: It is committed to the free-democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany and is committed to securing and expanding the social constitutional state and the further democratization of the economy, state and society, to peace, disarmament and international understanding and the protection of the natural environment to secure the existence of humanity. … democratization of the economy while keeping neo-fascist, militarist and reactionary elements away…” Post by Stephan Krull from March 7, 2026 on his homepage , see also:
    • VW works council head is open to arms projects
      “VW works council boss Daniela Cavallo does not rule out the car manufacturer getting involved in armaments projects. This could particularly be a perspective for the Osnabrück plant, for which there are currently no follow-up orders. “We are examining all options to make the Osnabrück location fit for the future,” Cavallo told the dpa news agency. Armament is an option there. Germany and Europe must become more independent in the area of ​​defense. "The world has changed a lot. That's why it's important that Europe builds a counterweight there," said Cavallo. The head of the works council pointed out that the subsidiary MAN has been building military trucks in a joint venture with Rheinmetall for years…”Report from March 6th, 2026 on NDR 
  • The future of the VW Osnabrück plant is already set to be purely a weapons factory
    “According to information from the workforce, the VW Osnabrück works council announced the complete and long-term conversion of the plant to armaments at the works meeting on Thursday. Works council chairman Placke says: “This won’t just be a short excursion into arms production“…”Report from Zukunftswerk Osnabrueck from March 13, 2026 
• Future work in conversation with unions: For solidarity solutions and civil perspectives at the VW Osnabrück site “Six activists from Zukunftswerk Osnabrück - including several long-standing and experienced trade unionists - visited the administrative office of IG Metall Osnabrück on Wednesday morning, February 18th, for a collegial exchange. The aim was to remind the union of its comprehensive social mission: a union means getting involved – for peace, good wages and solidarity instead of tanks, profits and patriotism.
  The first representative of IG Metall Osnabrück, Stephan Soldanski, made himself available for a fifteen-minute conversation in the hallway of the administration office. He explained that IG Metall Osnabrück is committed to maintaining jobs in close coordination with the IG Metall headquarters in Frankfurt, together with the works council. However, given the company's structures, this is difficult, as fundamental decisions are ultimately made in Wolfsburg. At the same time, he has the impression that the workforce has confidence in this course.
  Soldanski went on to explain that he was aware of the antimilitarist mission of the IG Metall statutes. However, he currently does not consider a switch to civilian production – such as bus or train production – to be a realistic prospect. Decisions are needed now and not in ten years. Ongoing negotiations should therefore not be disrupted by spectacular actions. IG Metall Osnabrück does not currently plan to collaborate with civil society forces to explore possible alternatives to arms production. (…)
  Afterwards, three activists visited the district administration of ver.di and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) Osnabrück in the DGB house to personally present the future work and discuss possibilities for solidarity cooperation for a sustainable socio-ecological future of the VW plant. In two collegial discussions in a pleasant atmosphere, ideas, contacts and perspectives were exchanged and it was agreed to continue to communicate on the topic. During these discussions, other activists distributed leaflets in front of the DGB building to interested passers-by and fellow union members who were attending appointments with their unions. It promoted the idea that a union means taking on social responsibility and jointly developing prospects for secure jobs in civilian production.
  Overall, the activists of the Zukunftswerk Osnabrück drew a positive conclusion from the morning…”Report from February 18, 2026 from and at Zukunftswerk Osnabrueck with some photos
• “Armament is not the same as armament”: First representative of IG Metall Osnabrück explains why he rejects any form of war and still wants an arms industry...
  • First authorized representative Soldanski in an interview: Arms production at VW Osnabrück? Why that wouldn't be a contradiction for an IG Metaller
    “Stephan Soldanski, first representative of IG Metall Osnabrück, describes himself as a pacifist. Nevertheless, armaments production at VW Osnabrück, for example by Rheinmetall, would be compatible with his position. How does it work?…“Interview by Nina Kallmeier from December 13th, 2025 in Hannoversche Allgemeine online – behind paywall, see therefore:
  • From the interview: “…If I could choose, I would of course like to make something that is sustainable and maybe also has something to do with mobility. But we don't have the illusion that we as IG Metall can choose here in Osnabrück. (…) Many industrial companies are cutting jobs or relocating them. Together with the shop stewards and the works council, we are fighting to preserve our industrial jobs. And not all armor is the same…” and also:
  • Zukunftswerk Osnabrück criticizes the reinterpretation of pacifism, peace, resilience and the union mandate by IG Metall representatives
    “The Zukunftswerk Osnabrück action network criticizes the recent public statements by the first representative of IG Metall Osnabrück, Stephan Soldanski, about possible arms production at the VW Osnabrück site (seehaz.de) sharp. From the network's perspective, the claim that such production is compatible with pacifist principles represents a dangerous political and conceptual reinterpretation.
    “Pacifism is not a private attitude that can be combined with location or industrial policy at will,” explains Kim Pfeffer from the “Zukunftswerk Osnabrück” action network. “Anyone who legitimizes arms production is abandoning the ground of peace policy positions – regardless of how they describe themselves.”
    No “defensive” armor – weapons are means of organized violence
    The future work expressly rejects Soldanski's idea that there are “defensive” or “peace-keeping” weapons. Weapons are not instruments of protection, but rather means of organized violence. Their existence is based on being deployed - not on keeping the peace. “The talk of supposedly defensive armaments is part of a political language that is intended to accustom employees and the public to militarization,” says the network. “Anyone who adopts these terms is already adopting the logic of rearmament and militarization.” (…)
    War has never been in the interests of employees
    The future work particularly strongly contradicts the representation that arms production is in the interests of the employees. Historically, the opposite is the case: wars have always been fought at the expense of the working population - through increasing exploitation, social impoverishment, hunger and ultimately through mutilation and millions of deaths and on the fronts, while others benefited. The Osnabrück writer Erich Maria Remarque, whom Soldanski hypocritically praised in an interview with haz, clearly stated this connection in his: "I saw how people who had never hated each other were sent against each other, and I saw how the hatred was made - by those who did not fight." (Nothing new in the West).
    Self-sacrifice instead of advocacy
    The Zukunftswerk Osnabrück is particularly critical of the statement by the first representative of IG Metall Osnabrück that it is “illusory” to believe that employees and the union can influence which products will be manufactured in the VW Osnabrück plant in the future. The decision rests “with Volkswagen alone”. “This attitude means a capitulating self-abandonment of union representation,” explains the network. “Anyone who publicly declares that the workforce and the union do not have a say in the future of their location is saying goodbye to their own statutory requirements. (…)
    Pacifism must not be reinterpreted as location politics! No subordination of trade unions to military and defense industrial interests!
    “Unions belong on the side of employees – not at the tables of war planners,” the network concludes. "A peaceful, social-ecological future for the VW plant is possible. Even Soldanski explains in the interview that the employees are demanding it. The basic prerequisite for this is that militarization is clearly rejected - politically, industrially and linguistically.”“Press release from December 14, 2025 from Zukunftswerk Osnabrück and
  • News from Krähwinkel an der Hase: Crow angle at the rabbit is calmed down. Finally, people are speaking plainly again.
    “After certain unwise ideas began to spread among the population - for example, that people could have a say about the type of work they do - the responsible first representative of the local metal workers' administration authority appeared publicly and set things straight. This was done calmly, matter-of-factly and with that tone and smile that inspires trust by avoiding any hope. The representative explained that one must say goodbye to illusions. It is well known that illusions are dangerous. In particular, the illusion that employees or their organizations can choose what is produced in a factory. The journey goes wherever it goes. And it is controlled exclusively by the company. THAT is reality. This insight was received with relief in Krähwinkel. Because nothing is more stressful than responsibility. The idea that people have to make decisions or even lead conflicts would have only heated people up unnecessarily. Now you know: You can take care of things without making decisions. You are allowed to speak without contradicting yourself. You can manage without enforcing anything. THAT is progress…”Comment from SaysNo on December 14, 2025 in the Zukunftswerk Osnabrück 
• Rheinmetall is waving off the VW plant in Osnabrück for the time being: a first step in the right direction - but no all-clear!
  • Rheinmetall is waving off Osnabrück for the time being: a first step in the right direction!
    “Statement on the current announcement that Rheinmetall has no further interest in the Osnabrück production site.
    “Rheinmetall is waving off the VW plant in Osnabrück for the time being,” headlines n-tv on Thursday afternoon. And further: Rheinmetall is currently not negotiating with VW about taking over the Osnabrück Volkswagen plant. Rheinmetall currently has sufficient capacity to fulfill existing orders, said CEO Armin Papperger in front of the Foreign Press Association in Germany. However, this could change with additional large orders. What does this mean for Osnabrück and the future of the VW plant?
    1) Don't fall for Papperger's strategy!
    We acknowledge Rheinmetall's initial rejection, but it is not yet the time to celebrate. Because when Papperger personally appears in front of the press, the company's strategic considerations are in the background. This now needs to be understood. One possibility: After the extensive arms boom of the past few months, in which Rheinmetall secured orders as a supposed all-rounder, the current peace negotiations on the Ukrainian war could mean a change of strategy for the arms company. Papperger's hesitation about taking over the location lowers the price for the work.
    Because so far no alternative production plans are public. Current production will end in 2027 at the latest and VW wants to get rid of the factory. The pressure of prestigious jobs puts pressure on political leaders in town and country, as well as the union. Instead of pandering to the arms giant, it is high time to emancipate yourself from its interests.
    2) It's high time to develop your own conversion ideas for the work!
    The previous inaction in developing their own perspectives for the plant on the part of the works council, for example, now makes the employees at the site particularly vulnerable. We finally need long-term prospects for socially and ecologically sensible production, not just in the local plant, but for all of the automotive industry's production facilities that are being phased out and in crisis. In Osnabrück, minibuses have already been built with MOIA in the past. Countless vehicles are already needed, especially to expand flexible and attractive local public transport in rural regions.
    We would therefore like to see more active discussion and public exchange with VW employees, with IG Metall and with other Osnabrück residents about what should be produced here, how and under what conditions…”Statement from rausmetall · November 27, 2025 in the Zukunftswerk Osnabrück forum 
  • Why Rheinmetall's rejection of Osnabrück is anything but an all-clear for two initiatives
    “Thesurprising news on Thursday afternoon (November 27th) initially sounded like a relief: Rheinmetall does not want to take over the VW plant in Osnabrück-Fledder for the time being, reported n-tv. But both the Osnabrück Future Works Action Network and the Rausmetall Initiative warn against hasty conclusions. There is no final decision behind the cancellation, but rather a complex web of political pressure, strategic maneuvers and unresolved industrial policy questions. (…)
    This is a dangerous signal for Osnabrück's future plant. "This is not an all-clear, but an alarming signal. The door to arms production is not closed, but only ajar. Now political work will be done to open it - with concessions, funding and location promises that will ultimately come at the expense of employees and a sustainable industrial perspective," warns the collective. The network expects that the state, city, business associations and unions could try to lure the arms company in the coming weeks. The fear of job loss could easily be exploited – to the detriment of alternative civilian concepts for the future. (…)
    While there are still no alternative plans, employees and politicians are increasingly under pressure to act. The initiative particularly criticizes the previous passivity in developing its own ideas for a civil future for the location.
    Conversion instead of war production – ideas are on the table
    Both groups are therefore clearly demanding that Osnabrück now needs a decisive discussion about sensible, sustainable reuse of the plant. The production of minibuses – as was previously the case for MOIA – could be an approach, as could technologies for climate-friendly mobility or infrastructure. Zukunftswerk Osnabrück emphasizes: "The employees do not need an armaments perspective, but rather security for the future. Osnabrück does not need tanks, but an honest industrial policy debate.”…”Article by Dominik Lapp from November 28, 2025 at Hasepost – Newspaper for Osnabrück
  • Rheinmetall is waving off the VW plant in Osnabrück for the time being
    “Rheinmetall is currently not negotiating a takeover of the VW factory in Osnabrück. CEO Armin Papperger told the news channel nt-v that the company currently has sufficient capacity to fulfill existing orders. A takeover or conversion of the plant to military production is currently not an issue, but this could change with new major orders…”Report from November 28, 2025 at osradio.de 
• Volkswagen in Osnabrück: Conversion the wrong way around?
  “Car sales in Germany are declining sharply. That's a good thing, you could say: far too many cars are being built. With the decline in domestic production - which fell by a good 35 percent from 2017 to 2025 - tens of thousands of jobs are disappearing. If there are no alternatives, this has dramatic social, economic and political consequences. The problems of the European auto industry are quickly identified: Technologically far behind China, the end of neoliberal free trade, wrong model policies, self-created overcapacities, a blocked transport transition and no strategic industrial policy for many years. We have to be clear: from now on the car industry in this country will only go downhill. (…) The reliable connection of urban centers and surrounding communities with local and regional public transport is a central point of a social and ecological mobility transition. This can be supported by the state governments as well as from the federal infrastructure fund. The example of the conversion to defense goods shows that if demand is secured by the state, production can take a different direction - in the Osnabrück case it is about production for armaments or for public transport and ecological sustainability.”Article from November 19, 2025 by and by Stephan Krull , first published inRobin Wood magazine 4/2025 
• [Osnabrück on November 9th] Evacuated today because of the war 80 years ago - building new war machines in Fledder tomorrow?
  “Tomorrow, November 9th, over 14,000 residents in Osnabrück will be evacuated in order to defuse aerial bombs from the Second World War. Thousands of households are affected, and no one is allowed to stay in the evacuation area while the virus is defusing. This is of course inconvenient, but we should also urgently remember that a controlled defuse is the mildest version of what could have happened with the bombs. In a total of 79 air raids during the Second World War, countless bombs were dropped on the Osnabrück train station, the old town and industrial facilities important to the war effort (Klöckner, Karmann, today's KME...). This is what happens in war. 80 years later we still have to deal with the consequences - that should remind us of one thing above all: never again war! Unfortunately, the opposite is happening: the next wars are already being prepared at all levels (…)
  Against this background, the accusations against unknown people because of a flyer campaign seem almost a bit bizarre. In the past few days, letters in the name of the city appeared in Osnabrück informing about a supposed “Fledder operation plan”. The claim there that, on the occasion of the possible resettlement of the defense industry, there was talk of an inspection by Bundeswehr forces and the inspection of cellars for air raid shelters would stir up fear and unsettle the population.
  If that scares you, you should think about what it means to take part in warmongering. Yes, wars are currently taking place far away. However, the consequences are no less serious, they just affect others. Society has become brutalized and calloused, especially by the warmongers' stories that the current rearmament campaign is only about deterrence and defense and that we have to defend our Western values.
  The arms industry works completely differently. Once produced, military equipment is sold and used wherever markets exist: whether against the civilian population in Palestine, against Kurds in Turkey or in northern Iraq. The loser in war is always the civilian population. As a global company, Rheinmetall in particular exports weapons all over the world, including to both sides of military conflicts. (…)
  The VW plant in Fledder is on the verge of closure. The orders expire in 2027, the entire group shows no particular interest in the location, Rheinmetall has expressed interest in a takeover. But even if Rheinmetall doesn't take over the plant, the factory's civilian future is still not certain. It wouldn't be the first time in the history of (ex-)Karmann that production for the war was taking place in the halls.
  The factory management and the union have so far remained tight-lipped about these developments. It is high time to develop alternative perspectives for the work and make them public!“  Post by panzerknacker from November 8, 2025 in the Zukunftswerk Osnabrück forum 
• Rally on October 24th in Osnabrück: Buses instead of military equipment: No production by Rheinmetall in Osnabrück
  The 3rd networking meeting of the networkFuture work Osnabrück has decided that it will take place on October 24th, on the occasion ofDay of the Peace of Westphalia , there will be a rally at 5:00 p.m. on the theater forecourt in Osnabrück - see thecall with thanks to the Say No campaign and also the full text:
  • Buses instead of military equipment:No Rheinmetall production in Osnabrück!
    Rally on Friday October 24th at 5:00 p.m. in front of the theater in Osnabrück.
    On the anniversary of the Peace Treaty in Westphalia, Osnabrück likes to celebrate itself as a “city of peace”. Now VW is planning to close its factory in Osnabrück and one of the biggest beneficiaries of the country's warmongering - Rheinmetall - wants to move in. Where the legacy of Erich Maria Remarque, a clear opponent of war, is proudly carried, weapons for war will soon be produced. The workers locally and around the world can only lose because it will be their children who will be burned to death in the trenches with these weapons.
    Workers are therefore faced with the choice: produce weapons for a war that brings them and their families nothing but misery or lose their jobs and therefore their livelihood. We cannot hold the workers responsible for this; they are not asked what or how should be produced. It is the workers in the VW factory, along with us who work in factories, offices, shops or in the home, who, based on our experiences in our everyday lives, know better than any shareholder what needs to be produced.
    Instead of pitting concern for peace and concern for jobs against each other, it makes sense and, in view of the climate catastrophe, also necessary, to use the VW factory to produce public transport vehicles that are useful to the general public. An initial feasibility study is available. It is the workers in the VW factory who have the knowledge and skills to convert and set up production for this.
    For this reason, the city corporation must now take action and exert pressure to prevent a takeover of Rheinmetall. If Rheinmetall were to gain a foothold here, the “City of Peace” Osnabrück would become a legitimate war target under international law. Weapons production in Osnabrück is not only a morally charged issue for the workers in the factory, it is a danger to peace and all residents of the city.
    That's why: solidarity with all workers, prevent Rheinmetall, create alternatives - buses instead of military equipment!
  • Further dates to note:
    • 30.10.at 6 p.m., University of Osnabrück, room 15/128: “VW-Werk Osnabrück – Future without Rheinmetall”, organizer: Disorder Office & Friends
    • Public transport instead of tanks! Social-ecological conversion as a perspective at the VW Osnabrück site - lecture and discussion onNovember 4th2025, 7:00 p.m. in KlimaWerkStadt, Westerstraße 58, 28199 Bremen – seeInformation at robinwood.de 
    • The 4th networking meeting for active and interested people is scheduled forNovember 17thtake place
• [Discussion/lecture on October 2, 2025 in Osnabrück] Buses instead of Porsches and tanks: Osnabrück as a city of peace and a pioneer of the mobility transition
  “The approximately 2,100 employees at the VW Osnabrück plant are unsettled - and not without reason: vehicle production is only secured until September 2027. What happens next at the traditional VW location in Osnabrück is currently unclear. Volkswagen rejects reports that it has decided to close the factory. The corporate works council demands responsibility from Volkswagen and rejects arms production. The mayor also advocates civilian production. The defense company Rheinmetall has expressed interest in taking over the plant. However, the VW Group's own plans for Osnabrück are not known.
  Mario Candeias, consultant for socialist transformation research at the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, and Stephan Krull, former works councilor at VW in Wolfsburg, present the concept of alternative production for sustainable mobility. Volkswagen would first have to be held responsible for this. Likewise, the state of Lower Saxony and the city of peace Osnabr