Business at the car manufacturer from Stuttgart is going well, and yet the company plans to get rid of 8,000 employees and its car dealerships. Visiting people who are currently angry with the bosses in Stuttgart.
Günter Reichert can’t shake things much anymore. The gray dungarees with the embroidered Mercedes star stretch slightly over his stomach, and a subtle smell of gasoline wafts around him. He kneads his gray beard with his right hand when he talks about his working life. 42 years of workshop, 42 years of Mercedes. “I’ve been through a lot,” says the 59-year-old, “where should I start?” And then he lists: wage sacrifice here, no bonus there, training in his free time. “Whenever things weren’t going well for the group, we made our contribution.” So that this doesn’t come across as wrong, mechanic Reichert loves his job and, above all, being part of the large Mercedes group. Tradition, quality – working where the car was invented, “that gives you something,” he says. But that could soon be over.