‘Pension robbery’ protest

A group of BMW workers from the UK will be handing in a petition and protesting outside the carmaker’s Munich headquarters in Germany tomorrow (March 29), demanding that BMW Group bosses stop their ‘pension robbery’.

The Unite members, who make engines as well as the iconic Mini and Rolls-Royce motorcars at Cowley, Goodwood, Hams Hall and Swindon, are heading over to the Bavarian capital as part of their battle against BMW’s plans to close their final salary pension scheme.

Brandishing placards and banners the workers will be protesting and handing in the petition at BMW’s Munich headquarters to senior executives Hubert Schurkus and Erich Thanner from 9.30am (CEST) or 8.30am (BST).

Tomorrow’s protest comes just days before a strike ballot closes on Friday (March 31) over the planned closure of  the BMW occupational pension scheme, which could see some UK workers lose up to £160,000 in retirement income.

“BMW bosses in Munich need to wake up to the anger their plans to close the occupational pension scheme has generated among loyal UK workers,” said Unite national officer Tony Murphy.

“Industrial action is a very real possibility by a workforce which has contributed significantly to the BMW Group’s record breaking profits and sales,” he added.

“UK workers feel as though they are being taken for a ride. BMW bosses say, on the one hand, they want to negotiate seriously, but on the other, refuse to talk about affordable options which would keep the scheme open.

“We urge BMW to stop its pension robbery which could see UK workers lose tens of thousands of pounds in retirement income and negotiate a settlement which is good for the business and good for the workforce.”

BMW’s plan to close the pension scheme comes as figures earlier in the month, showed a surge in BMW Group’s net profit of eight per cent to €6.9bn, as well as a record year for Mini sales and a six per cent rise in Roll-Royce sales.