Works council election 2026: Who will represent the VW employees?

Works council election 2026: Who will represent the VW employees?

The works council election is coming up at VW in Wolfsburg - an event that will lead the more than 61,000 employees in Lower Saxony's largest city to make fateful decisions. How news38 reported, the election will take place from March 9th to 12th, 2026. The last votes will be cast on March 13, 2026. Everyone who is eligible to vote can have a say in who will represent the workforce for the next four years up to 2030. A special feature: of the total of 67 works council mandates, at least 17 must be awarded to women in order to take the idea of ​​equality into account.

Preparations are already in full swing. The deadline for submitting nominations ends on November 27, 2025 - so don't wait long if you want to stand as a candidate. Valid proposals will be published after the deadline. These elections take place every four years, and the current works council has already appointed an electoral board ten weeks before the end of its term of office igmetall explained.

The top candidates have been determined

A decisive step towards the election was the nomination of the top candidates by almost 300 IG Metall representatives. Daniela Cavallo and Jürgen Mahnkopf were elected with impressive vote shares of 91.9 and 76.2 percent. This nomination took place at the VW main plant on Südstrasse and shows that the workforce stands behind their representatives. Florian Hirsch, trust body manager at Volkswagen, and Flavio Benites, first representative of IG Metall Wolfsburg, emphasized the importance of a united works council leadership.

The nomination sends a clear message to the workforce: we are working towards a cultural change within the works council. This was emphasized by IG Metall parliamentary group spokeswoman Susanne Preuk, who spoke before the upcoming elections. “Having a good hand for the needs of the employees” – this is how one could describe the spirit that will accompany the next few months.

What do you need to know?

Elections are a central element in employee participation. All employees aged 16 and over, including parental leave, temporary workers and temporary workers, are allowed to vote, while senior employees are excluded from the right to vote. Postal voting is also possible for those who are not at work on election day, so that they can also cast their vote at the crucial time.

The employer bears the costs of the election - this includes both material and personnel costs for the electoral board. And what happens when a works council member is elected? The statutory protection against dismissal for works council members, election board members and election initiators ensures that they do not have to feel threatened in the performance of their duties.

An exciting race lies ahead of us, which will not only determine the composition of the works council, but also the cultural and social orientation of the company for the coming years. IG Metall is combative and does everything in her power to represent her interests. Anticipation is growing for lively and open voting, and employees are ready to make their voices heard.