The Nedcar works council has postponed its application for a temporary injunction to force VDL management to grant insight into the documents about BMW’s unilateral breaking of the contract to build the successor of the MINI Countryman in Born. VDL will allow access to the papers ‘under strict conditions’.

But these conditions are not to the liking of the works council representatives: the five members of the financial committee will get to see the documents under the supervision of the financial director and are not allowed to make any notes, pictures, or copies or to discuss the content externally.

According to the works council president Abdel Lahssaini, there are no pens, cameras, or mobile phones allowed in the room where the documents are viewed, on pain of a fine of 10 000 euros per infringement. And the content may not be shared. A counterproposal was made by letter for insight with no VDL manager present and being allowed to make notes.

Eight strike day

After negotiations with the management resulted in ‘nothing’ according to the unions, the employees of VDL Nedcar in Born decided to strike again on Friday, the eighth strike day. Each production day lost costs VDL some 9 million euros, the works council calculated, while the extended social plan they demand costs ‘only’ €20 million extra.

The works council in Born announced on Wednesday it is going to court to force the family-owned VDL Group to unveil how much BMW has paid for breaking the contract for building the successor to the MINI Countryman. Money, the union representatives say, of which 70% was meant for a social plan to mitigate the consequences for the employees.

The unions want to know how much this 70% is in actual money, but the VDL management and owners have refused to unveil the total amount BMW paid. The works council also wants to be granted inspection of the 100-million deal VDL made with American electric pickup manufacturer Rivian for exclusivity rights in Born.

Currently, 3 950 people work at Nedcar. Of them, 1 000 permanent and 800 temporary workers will lose their jobs as of 1 November, VDL announced last week. This includes production employees and people in supporting services.

Turbulent circumstances

In a statement, the VDL management explained earlier that it is still looking for other clients in the automotive business but that it didn’t work out yet. “We’ve done our utmost to ensure production,” says VDL director John van Soerland, “but until now, we didn’t succeed. Time has been too short in a very turbulent automotive environment to achieve this. This makes us very unhappy, and we apologize to the workers.”

VDL says it will try to lead as many workers as possible to other jobs and reiterates a social plan foreseeing doubling the legal severance pay plus a so-called end-of-work bonus amounting to €7 500.

Angy and disappointed

But the people at Nedcar are outraged and disappointed VDL is still sticking to the social plan of 2021, which has led to several strikes in the past weeks. Now they demand the right to inspect the deals with BMW and Rivian to see what happened with the money they claim intended for the social plan.

In reaction, the VDL management said that the works council is still welcome to have insight into the documents of the deals. But the spokesperson didn’t want to specify under which conditions this would happen.

The president of the works council, Abdel Lahssaini, fears they won’t be granted full access to the complete documents without masking specific amounts or excerpts. That’s why the works council wants a judge to force VDL to total openness in a summary proceeding.