We will call it Frank Müller. This technician in his thirties works in the Holy of Saints of the German automotive industry: the historic Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen, in Stuttgart (Baden-Wurtemberg), the place where the legendary 911 comes to the roar engine. He requested a strict anonymity: in principle, nothing must leave the site which is not validated by the communication department. Difficult, however, to hide the discomfort that has spread, for a few months, behind the walls of Zuffenhausen.
“The atmosphere has deteriorated a lot on the assembly lines since the management announced the abolition of 1,900 jobs. They will not renew the fixed -term contracts. This collapsed the commitment of colleagues. Many are absentsays Frank Müller. It was the dream of my life to work here. Now I wonder if there are still prospects. I no longer see myself staying there for a very long time. »»
It is difficult to believe it. Porsche technicians, like those of his neighbor Mercedes, or the Volkswagen giant, form the aristocracy of the “made in Germany”. They are among the best paid technicians in the world, with a prestige so far unqualified. In Baden-Wurtemberg, average gross annual income in the metal and electronics industry is 76,000 euros. At Porsche, a technician can earn up to 80,000 euros per year thanks to bonuses, often equivalent to one month's salary.
These remunerations alone embody the German social ideal, a central myth of the country's identity since the Second World War: that of very well paid and protected production jobs, distributed in the territory, thanks to products sold with high margin worldwide, manufactured by companies where a union organizes the sharing of added value, defends jobs and apprentice posts, in a certain idea of social ascension. This counter-power built on industry, which represents a major element of the German social model, can survive the current economic shock?
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Source: Lemonde