Far-Right Activist Elected to Opel Works Council in Rüsselsheim

The recent works council elections at Opel's Rüsselsheim plant have taken a concerning turn with the election of a far-right activist, Horst Schmitt, to the council. Schmitt, who was elected via the Christian Trade Union Metall (CGM) list, has previously been associated with extreme right-wing activities, raising alarms among union and industry observers.

In the March elections, the IG Metall union garnered nearly 90% of the votes at the Rüsselsheim facility, which currently employs around 8,300 workers--significantly down from nearly 16,000 in 2017 amid ongoing challenges in the automotive sector and recent austerity measures. Despite this strong support for IG Metall, the entry of a representative from the far-right into the works council poses potential risks for the workplace environment.

Schmitt's election has been linked to the CGM, which claims a membership of approximately 100,900, although independent estimates suggest a lower figure. The CGM is affiliated with the employee wing of Germany's conservative parties and has been striving to distance itself from Schmitt's controversial past, which includes participation in events organized by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and associations with the right-wing magazine Compact.

Moreover, documents reveal that Schmitt was a board member of the association Zentrum until late October 2024, a group known for its ties to the AfD and which has been flagged by the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution as having an influential presence in various workplaces. Johannes Kiess, a social researcher and deputy director of the Leipzig-based Else-Frenkel-Brunswik Institute, highlighted the risks of such affiliations, stating that the CGM should recognize Zentrum as a neo-Nazi structure well-connected within the extremist scene.

In response to the backlash regarding Schmitt's election, a spokesperson from the CGM emphasized that the organization's Christian-social principles are fundamentally opposed to those of Zentrum. They asserted that there had never been a formal collaboration between the two and expressed regret that the CGM's main office was not informed in time to amend the candidate list before the elections.

However, sources within the company suggest that Schmitt's political history was well-known among his peers, raising questions about the effectiveness of the CGM's vetting processes. The CGM's approach to managing this situation appears reactive rather than proactive, as they acknowledged that the main board is seriously considering potential disciplinary actions and increasing training efforts to counteract external influences.

Notably, this incident is not isolated. The CGM had previously expelled Oliver Hilburger, a future founder of Zentrum, in 2008 due to his active roles in far-right music groups and political organizations. The broader trend indicates that members of German trade unions, including those belonging to the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), have shown a tendency to support the AfD at rates higher than the general population, further complicating the union landscape in Germany.