German auto workers protest historic job cuts

Around 175,000 automotive workers took part in roughly 280 protests across Germany on Monday, September 21, 2026, according to the IG Metall union, in one of the largest nationwide labour mobilisations the industry has seen in years. Employees from Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Bosch and dozens of suppliers joined rallies, workplace meetings and demonstrations under the slogan "A Future Instead of Mass Layoffs," with major hubs including Wolfsburg, Zwickau and Stuttgart among the sites. The day of action came less than three days after Volkswagen cut its 2026 operating-margin forecast to no more than 1 percent, citing weakness in China, restructuring costs and problems at Porsche. Earlier in September, the carmaker approved plans to cut a further 50,000 jobs globally, bringing its planned workforce reductions to around 100,000 positions over the coming years. The future of several German plants remains uncertain. BMW is cutting about 8,000 jobs, while Mercedes-Benz is reducing production at home and has proposed that employees work an additional three hours per week without extra pay during competitiveness negotiations.