"“The mood is obviously not good,” Sinischa Horvat, chairman of BASF's works council, which represents staff interests, told AFP during a visit to the city of about 175,000 people. “The entire market is currently so weak. When you watch the news, you hardly hear any positive messages.”"
"BASF is among Germany's manufacturing heavyweights in sectors ranging from autos to steel and factory equipment that have been cutting back in their domestic markets. They are battling surging energy costs, fierce competition from China, and weak demand at a time when Europe's biggest economy is mired in a long stagnation."
"Some 2,500 jobs have been axed since 2022 in Ludwigshafen, which is dominated by sprawling chemical plants that stretch along the river Rhine, and more cuts are set to come. A recent decision to sell off thousands of company-owned apartments, many occupied by current and former workers, has added to unease."
"“The sale of these apartments sends a signal to the city and to the people who live here and, in some cases, work at BASF -- BASF is scaling back its operations,” Patrick Thiel, who lives in one of the apartments and works at the firm, told AFP. “There is growing concern that this won't stop at the apartments but will also affect the main plant,” added the 29-year-old."
Germany’s industrial decline is harming communities that rely on local manufacturing employers for jobs, prosperity, and security. Ludwigshafen, home to BASF, has lost thousands of jobs since 2022 and faces further cuts. BASF and other German manufacturers are reducing domestic operations due to high energy costs, competition from China, and weak demand amid long stagnation. Ludwigshafen’s chemical plants dominate the city, and job losses have intensified local unease. BASF’s plan to sell thousands of company-owned apartments, including homes occupied by current and former workers, has raised fears that scaling back will extend beyond housing to the main plants.
Read at The Local Germany
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