As the Airbus restructuring saga rumbles on, the European press is full of reports that workers at Airbus’s sites in Germany will be striking this Friday, in protest at what Power8 will mean for their jobs and factories. Airbus representatives insisted last week during a press visit to its Finkenwerder site that this is not the case – there will be no strike on Friday, but the German works council will hold an “information event” at which it will present its own proposal for restructuring to workers. This will not affect production, Airbus insists.
But the reports do highlight the increasing fears Airbus workers across Europe are harbouring about the future of their jobs, as EADS and Airbus seek to square national interest with production efficiency. And, in the UK, fears are growing that the UK may lose out on A350 XWB work because of its lack of composite expertise.
Meanwhile, last week in Hamburg, Reuters came up with the best story from the factory visit, after we were given the chance to see the equipment Airbus uses to test its aircraft lavatories. I wouldn’t be surprised if this got to at least number two on Reuters’ best-read list.
