Airbus union warns of more protests

Airbus SE union IG Metall said it could call for further industrial action in a dispute over the planemaker’s plans to restructure German parts operations.

The labour group held a day of strikes and rallies yesterday to protest plans to overhaul subsidiaries that make wing and fuselage sections. The move, first announced in April, would involve the creation of new companies built around the Stelia Aerospace and Premium Aerotec divisions, while a detailed-parts unit would be hived off. “We want a new date for negotiations, if not we will strike again,” said IG Metall district manager Daniel Friedrich. “We don’t want to but we are prepared for both outcomes.”

Airbus is striving to focus resources on areas that will be key for developing future technology such as hydrogen jets, including wings and fuselage.