Ford Focus production at the Saarlouis Assembly plant was reportedly set to be impacted by a strike after German union IG Metall called for the employees of five nearby suppliers – Magna, Benteler, Tenneco, Rhenus LMS, and Lear Corp – to take action after it made little progress over the past several months in regards to a new contract. That’s precisely what happened earlier this month when workers at those five suppliers officially walked off the job site, meaning that Ford Focus production was officially on pause as well, given the fact that FoMoCo gets a host of parts from those companies – including components related to powertrains and drivetrains, body parts, wiring, and exhaust systems. However, the two sides were able to reach an agreement quickly, and now, Ford Focus production has resumed, according to Automotive News Europe.
While the terms of this new agreement have yet to be disclosed, IG Metall did say that the aforementioned suppliers had offered “substantially improved” severance payments, which is notable because the 500 union workers had been seeking the same sort of “attractive and well-funded” severance deal as Ford workers at the Saarlouis plant are receiving.
As Ford Authority previously reported, production of the Ford Focus is currently slated to end in November 2025. However, even after that happens, Ford plans to keep that same plant open through 2032, albeit with a greatly reduced workforce as it seeks to find a buyer for the facility, which has thus far proven to be a difficult task.
Despite having a list of interested parties that reportedly included Chinese EV maker BYD, as well as Magna International and VDL Nedcar, the Ford Saarlouis Assembly plant recently attracted “a major investor” as well, but that entity later backed out of any potential deal that might have been on the table.
We’ll have more on all Ford-related strikes from around the globe soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet