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Battle for the Rostock DB Cargo factory: closure is imminent!
Employees at the DB Cargo plant in Rostock fear closures. The works council is demanding support from the state government.
Battle for the Rostock DB Cargo factory: closure is imminent!
In Rostock there is great concern about the DB Cargo factory, which has been responsible for the maintenance and repair of locomotives and freight wagons for almost 60 years. With the current workforce reduction, the future of the plant is in jeopardy. There are fears of a closure, which would massively affect both employees and the entire logistics in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Loud NDR 20 of 55 employees have already been offered other positions within the company, without the exact locations being known.
These developments are part of a broader problem that DB Cargo, the freight transport subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, has been struggling with for years. The company has been in the red for some time and plans to cut a total of 5,000 jobs by 2029 - including the Rostock plant. “We have to seriously fear for the future of our plant,” warns Thomas Pfarr, the works council chairman, in an incendiary letter to Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig. Northern Courier reports the concern that the massive reduction in personnel could endanger the economic and professional integrity of the location.
The concerns of the employees
The employees, together with the works council, wrote an open letter to the state government to demand support. State Secretary Ines Jesse (SPD) has already agreed to hold talks with company management to discuss the situation. It is clear: Closing the plant would not only drive employees into unemployment, but would also cause lasting damage to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a business location. The freight station in Rostock is essential for logistics in the region, for example for the Bundeswehr's transport chain.
The current closure of workplaces, which has already been announced, is of particular concern. A workshop with the current capacity is necessary for security and defense policy reasons. The planned workforce reduction could jeopardize valuable know-how and affect the site's ability to continue to be economically viable.
Economic framework conditions
The situation is further exacerbated by the financial difficulties of DB Cargo, which has come under pressure in recent years due to the war in Ukraine and rising operating and energy costs. Punctuality and customer satisfaction have fallen to their lowest level in years, according to key figures from the Group management report show clearly. A decline in goods transported and traffic performance has led to a sharp increase in the red numbers.
Combined with a decline in maintenance requirements and mobility, which are further burdened by economic influences and other external factors, such as the construction work to improve the infrastructure in Rostock, DB Cargo is facing an enormous challenge. The announcement of a major project to recover 1.6 million tons of war munitions from the North and Baltic Seas could have a positive effect, but the continued existence of the Rostock plant remains crucial for the future of the region.
The situation is tense and employees are standing together to fight for their jobs and the future of the DB Cargo factory in Rostock. Whether it will be possible to maintain and strengthen the work remains to be seen.