Ford in Cologne-Niehl: Employees fear for their future!

Ford in Cologne-Niehl: Employees fear for their future!

in Cologne-Niehl the short-time work at Ford has started and the concerns of the employees are tangible! Hikmet Karacay, a 31-year-old employee in vehicle production, is confronted with a worrying reality: the electric models "Explorer" and "Capri" are only slow. The production lines stand still, and the cars park lonely on the large factory premises, without buyers in sight. "In the beginning you didn't notice that in production. You normally produced the number of pieces. Now they are around here, without buyers," reports Karacay, who has been working for Ford since 2013.

family history and uncertainty

Karacay is employed in the third generation at Ford. His grandfather, father and uncle all worked for the company, which was once considered a safe employer. But times have changed. "People are getting more and more. These are people who founded a young family. When they put in a financing. They are worried. There is no one who looks at the future without worry," he explains. The uncertainty about the professional future hovers like a shadow over the employees who can be found in one crisis after another.

urgent need for action for e-mobility

In order to boost production again, Karacay demands a premium for electric cars from politics. "There can only be security if the cars sell better again. Next year I do not see that we will get away from the short -time work. Something has to happen in any case," he says. The expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric cars is also essential. Without these decisive framework conditions, Karacay sees the future of car production in Cologne-Niehl in danger.