Protesters in Cologne spoke about the reasons for the strike at the Ford plant

On May 14, protesters at the Ford automobile plant in Cologne told the Izvestia correspondent about the reasons for the strike, and employees expressed concerns that they might lose their jobs due to international competition between car companies.

The factory's passageways are now covered with red tape and covered with posters reading "strike." Lisa, an employee of the company who came to the rally, said that she has been working for Ford for 20 years.

"I've been working here for 20 years and I don't want to lose my job. It's important that my other colleagues don't lose their jobs. We need these jobs for our families and the future of our children. We must use the strike to put pressure on Ford. I think we need to continue until we restore all the jobs," she told correspondent Vitaly Chashchukhin.

Rainer Vorschat, a member of the IG Metall trade union, noted that the situation with automobile manufacturers in Germany affects the overall global car manufacturing market.

"This is international competition between car companies, which will inevitably lead to job cuts. Yesterday, Nissan announced that 100,000 jobs will be eliminated in the Japanese automotive industry. Therefore, international solidarity among drivers is important not only in Cologne, but all over the world. We support this," he said.

Another protesting employee named Herbert expressed the opinion that the strike would not help stop staff cuts, and these measures would have to be accepted.

"The Americans say the same thing. We have to cut thousands of jobs. Ford is not the only one with the problem, it affects the entire German steel industry. ThyssenKrupp, Volkswagen and Audi and other companies are facing the same problem," the man said.

Earlier in the day, David Ludtke, a representative of IG Metall, told the DPA news agency that employees at the Ford automobile plant in Cologne had started a strike against management's austerity plans. Posters calling for a demonstration hung on the gates.

Elena Fritz, a member of the AfD party, said that Germany could face serious losses in its industrial base in the next 5-10 years if the current course does not radically change. According to her, the strikes at Ford plants and the departure of Mercedes should not be seen as temporary difficulties, they are just symptoms of a deeper process of erosion.