Neo-nazis ‘infiltrating German car factories’

CONCERNS are growing that neo-nazi groups may be trying to set up alternative trade unions in Germany’s motor industry.

The German press alleges there are links between some elected workers’ representatives at Mercedes-benz’s main engine factory and a neo-nazi terror cell, and claimed a privately circulated email contained a swastika and the message “the true German greeting is ‘Heil Hitler’”.

Although the source of the email dismissed it as a forgery, Daimler, which owns Mercedes, issued a statement saying it was following developments at the factory “with concern”.

Members of the official works council at the factory this week warned they feared alleged extremists were threatening jobs and trying to turn the factory into a “showcase for far-right extremism”. The allegations concern Zentrum Automobil, which bills itself as “the alternative employee representation for employees in the automotive industry”, and says it is trying to rival IG Metall, the main workers’ union.

Zentrum already has four elected representatives on the workers’ council at the factory in Untertürkheim and is seeking to expand to other car manufacturers in Germany. It denies having any neo-nazi or far-right links.