Audi boss Döllner appeared at a campaign event for US President Trump at the weekend. There he announced a new Audi factory in the USA. The appearance shows that profit interests take precedence over supposed social partnership. – A comment by Herbert Scholle.

Once again the VW Group is causing a stir and outrage.On the weekendAudi boss Gernot Döllner appeared at a campaign event for US President Donald Trump. There he proudly announced a new Audi factory that would be launched in the US state of Georgia. Want thereAudiinvest four billion US dollars and create 4,500 jobs to produce the Q9 model in the USA.

Above all, this is likely to be about avoiding the high punitive tariffs that would be incurred when exporting vehicles to the USA. But there also appear to be negotiations between the VW Group and the US government. So reportedBusiness Weekof several VW jets that landed near Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in recent weeks. While the company insists that Döllner only negotiated with Georgia's governor, the presence of other company members is left open.

The fact that Döllner's appearance is part of a larger strategy is also indicated by the fact that VW boss Oliver Blume announced it in advancenodded offhad. The VW management team made a conscious decision to support the fascist US president in his election campaign for the US midterms and to do so they also broke their own company rules on political neutrality.

VW plans to cut 100,000 jobs - Mercedes is also tightening austerity measures

Loud criticism of Döllner's performance

Meanwhile, the appearance of the Audi boss is causing a stir in Germanybig outcry, which spanned many different areas. For example, various voices from politics were raised: Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) speaks of a "political production", his Baden-Württemberg counterpart Cem Özdemir (Greens) said the appearance left "a considerable feeling of disruption" and Left co-leader Luigi Pantisano even called for Döllner's resignation.

IG Metall is also upset about the collaboration with Donald Trump: “The way Gernot Döllner presented himself and Audi in the USA is extremely embarrassing, politically unacceptable and not worthy of the company, but above all the people of Audi,” said IG Metall chairman Christiane Benner.

But the loudest criticism probably comes from within our own ranks. The head of the VW works council makes it clear how unacceptable she finds the appearance: "Several minutes full of racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, contempt for democracy - and then one of our top company representatives comes on stage and actively helps the election campaign."

The appearance also caused great dissatisfaction among VW employees. In an internal communication about the project in the USA, the company had to switch off comments after there was loud criticism, which, according to the internal VW editorial team, “left the scope of a factual exchange of opinions”. VW workers were apparently so angry that they expressed their displeasure by giving their real names.

Plant opening in the USA, plant closing in Germany

In addition to the support for a fascist government, the criticism primarily refers to the contradiction between the treatment of German VW and Audi employees and the plans in the USA. While billions are to be invested and new jobs created in Georgia, things look completely different in Germany.

Above all, the planned one is importantClosure of the Audi factory in Neckarsulmin focus. Production there is scheduled to end in 2034. This means that 15,000 jobs in Neckarsulm are at risk. In addition, the parent company no longer wants to continue running three other VW plants in Hanover, Zwickau and Emden.

Overall, the decision to make a major investment comes at a time when workers in particular are feeling the consequences of the ailing automotive industry. VW wants, among other things, worldwideCut 100,000 jobs. Added to this are the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations with VW, in which the group appears to have aPush through zero roundwants.

Salary freeze until 2030: VW is putting employees under pressure before collective bargaining

“In the interest of the company”

Audi boss Döllnerrejects the criticismmeanwhile about yourself. Although he regrets that his appearance at a campaign event “was perceived as a political signal,” he still believes he is in the right. Accepting the invitation was “in the interests of the company”.

If you look at the situation purely from a business perspective, he is probably right. The outrage of the last few days should be a small price to pay if Audi and the VW Group as a whole receive better access to the US sales market. Nevertheless, Döllner's appearance is a high-profile problem for the VW Group in the run-up to the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations. Because it shows once again: Profit is the top priority.

On the one hand, this could lead to a greater willingness to fight among our own employees, which could make collective bargaining more difficult. Of course, this also largely depends on IG Metall. On the other hand, it is to a certain extent a problem for the implementation of one's own corporate interests in politics, where the supposed importance of social partnership is repeatedly emphasized. However, it has become clear in the past few days that the interests of the VW Group and the interests of VW employees differ significantly.

The postAudi boss in the Trump election campaign: profit interests come firstappeared firstperspective.