VW Sachsen: Same wages, fewer hours – 11,500 employees expect this!

VW Sachsen: Same wages, fewer hours – 11,500 employees expect this!

A new wind is blowing through the Volkswagen factories in Saxony! From 2026, the approximately 11,500 employees in Zwickau, Chemnitz and Dresden will be subject to the same collective bargaining conditions as their colleagues in the west. This good news heralds a significant harmonization of working conditions, which was already apparent in previous collective bargaining negotiations. The background to this reform is a new collective agreement that was negotiated by IG Metall in December 2024 and now heralds significant change.

What exactly does the new collective agreement say? The most important news: working hours will be reduced to 35 hours per week. This makes employees' hearts beat faster because wages are rising at the same time. Where production employees previously earned between 3,400 and 4,200 euros gross per month, from 2026 they can look forward to monthly salaries of between 3,914 and 4,304 euros. This alignment is no coincidence. As early as 2021, IG Metall called for employees in the East to be treated equally with their West German colleagues.

Overview of the tariff structure

Up until now, the VW locations in Saxony had their own collective bargaining agreement, which covered more than 120,000 employees. There are 22 pay levels in this contract, with the highest levels 21 and 22 no longer being awarded, but still protected. In West Germany, on the other hand, the wage range ranges from 2,400 to an impressive 8,361 euros in the 22nd level. Upgrading working conditions is a clear step forward.

• Aktueller Verdienst in Sachsen: 3.400 bis 4.200 Euro brutto.
• Futuristische Lohnspannen ab 2026: 3.914 bis 4.304 Euro brutto.
• Arbeitszeitreduktion auf 35 Stunden pro Woche.

In addition, the Transparent Factory in Dresden is about to be restructured. From 2026 onwards, no more production will take place there. Instead, a modern innovation center will be created that will focus on key technology fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, microelectronics and chip design. The project will involve the Technical University of Dresden, which will use almost half of the space in the plant in the future. The 230 employees of the Transparent Factory can look forward to their jobs for the time being, even if production is stopped.

A long needed alignment

Jan Otto, the district manager of IG Metall, emphasizes how important this alignment is after more than three decades. “With this collective agreement, we are ensuring that the jobs and quality of life of our employees are secured,” said Otto. The early implementation of the alignment to 2026 shows that Volkswagen has a good handle on the needs of its employees and at the same time is responding to developments in the industry.

For many employees, this step is a reason to be happy because the long-standing struggle for fair wages and working conditions is finally being rewarded. From 2026, VW employees in Saxony can hope for better wages and a balanced working life. **It will be exciting to see how the situation develops in the coming years!**

Further details on the developments in the VW factories in Saxony can be found at news38.de and wirtschaft-in-sachsen.de.