The trade union IG Metall announced on 19 October 2026 that Volkswagen plans to freeze wages until 2030; the group did not comment.
The German trade union IG Metall stated in a press release on 19 October 2026 that the Volkswagen group plans to freeze the wages of its more than 660,000 employees at this year's level until 2030. According to the union, the European and global group works council informed employees of the plan on the intranet. The union claims that the group has already issued an instruction not to raise wages, effective from the beginning of October. The information had earlier also been reported by the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.
IG Metall stated that the measure does not provide for an inflation adjustment either, so over four years it would mean a reduction in real wages of ten percent or more. The union expects considerable resistance from employees. A Volkswagen spokesperson told the agency DPA: "We do not comment on such speculation."
The group also includes Škoda Auto, which has roughly 36,500 employees including agency workers and, according to the Czech News Agency, was asked for the carmaker's response to the report. While sales of the Volkswagen group in the first three quarters of 2026 fell by nine percent to roughly six million vehicles, sales of Škoda Auto rose by 6.1 percent to 812,400 vehicles. Echo24 states that the extent of a possible wage freeze is not yet clear, because the group wants to take into account the situation at individual plants and in individual markets.
Chronology
- — The IG Metall trade union said that the Volkswagen group, which includes Škoda Auto, plans to freeze its employees' wages until 2030; Volkswagen did not comment on the information. ČTK / České noviny Echo24
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 19 October 2026
- Echo24 — 19 October 2026