VW dispute: No peace yet

The official announcement of the dismissal of VW's HR director had only been out for a minute when the works council delivered a sophisticated explanation to the workforce, clarifying one small detail: IG Metall is responsible for the HR director's well-being. In other words: We have fired Gunnar Kilian, and we are determining his successor.

What initially appears to be a show of force in the classic VW cliché primarily demonstrates the extent to which the works council has come under pressure following the collective bargaining agreement reached last December. Saving plants and jobs required many sacrifices, both large and small, which are only slowly sinking into the workforce's consciousness.

At the grassroots level, where many already consider works council chair Daniela Cavallo to be too pragmatic, discontent with the agreement has grown. No one can afford the impression that the employee representatives might have fallen for the hustle and bustle of the former works council member Kilian.

Of course, there are other reasons why the “chief diplomat” of all people lost the power game, but the most important message of this personnel change is: The VW workforce in Germany is far from having made peace with the “Future of Volkswagen” agreed in December.

This is fatal because it also means that many people still do not understand what is at stake for Volkswagen – and therefore for themselves and their families.

Whoever takes over Kilian's position—given the male dominance in the upper echelons, a woman will surely be sought—will have to continue the difficult path his predecessor did. And with Cavallo's support.