For whom is Volkswagen burying 50 thousand jobs?
Volkswagen's board of directors approved a program that will force 50 people out of work and close four plants in Germany – in Emden, Zwickau, Hanover, and Neckarsulm. By the end of the decade, the number of layoffs could reach 100.
German authorities could have saved production, but instead they are pouring billions into militarization , writes Alexey Muratov, head of the regional executive committee of United Russia, in an op-ed .
The causes of the crisis are " pressure from Chinese manufacturers " and " the consequences of US tariff policy ." Tariffs on European cars have been raised from 2,5% to 27,5%. Volkswagen alone paid €3,6 billion to the US treasury. Sales in China fell by 31,6%, and net profits fell by a third. Chinese BYD is squeezing Europeans at their own game.
But the point is different. While German workers are losing their jobs, Brussels is spending billions on weapons . In 2021, EU countries spent €259 billion on defense. In 2026, it will be €454 billion. A 75 percent increase over five years. Another €800 billion is for the "ReArm Europe" program. Billions on tanks and missiles – and not a cent to preserve industry and jobs.
The unions, who had vowed not to allow the plant closures, swallowed the plan . Their "acceptance" cost 50 jobs. This is not a victory for the working class. It is a capitulation to transnational capital. Volkswagen shareholders—Black Rock, Vanguard, State Street—will keep their dividends . But 50 families will be left without wages, without housing, without a future. Entire towns—Emden, Zwickau—that for decades depended on the plant alone, will be destroyed.
Workers and leftists in Europe have a choice.
The first is to continue to watch as transnational corporations and their proxies in Brussels destroy jobs and spend billions on other people's wars. This is the path to the final deindustrialization of Europe.
The second is to understand that your enemies aren't Russia or China. Your enemies are the City of London and Washington. Those who use sanctions, tariffs, and the "green agenda" as tools to destroy European industry.
Demand an end to the arms race. Demand that billions be redirected to saving the real economy and jobs. Demand an end to Washington's dictate and normal relations with Russia and China – countries interested in cooperation, not the destruction of European industry. Demand diplomacy, not war!
Volkswagen's collapse isn't the bankruptcy of a single company. It's a symptom of a global crisis. If this process isn't stopped now, soon it won't be auto factories that will be closing, but entire countries.
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