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Matthias Klaus
The French rail technology manufacturer Alstom will close its plant in Görlitz at the end of March 2026. Until then, there is a site protection agreement. Alstom currently still employs around 700 people in Görlitz, compared to around 2,000 ten years ago. Negotiations are now underway with an interested party who apparently wants to take over the company. And the Free State of Saxony is just as obviously involved in these negotiations.
According to an MDR report, the armaments company KNDS is said to be interested in the Görlitz plant. Local politicians are divided in their opinion: The CDU sees opportunities, the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance rejects the entry of an arms company. Now the AfD and the Greens in the district have also expressed their views.
AfD: Will tanks stay in Germany?
For the AfD, questions remain unanswered regarding KNDS' potential investment in Alstom. "Now, of all things, an armaments company is to become an investor in the plant. For a long time, Rheinmetall was even being discussed as a buyer, but now KNDS wants to produce wheeled infantry fighting vehicles for the Bundeswehr in Görlitz," says Hajo Exner, AfD district chairman. While these tanks are intended for the Bundeswehr, KNDS is also working closely with the Ukrainian arms industry. "But what does this mean for Görlitz? Will the tanks remain in Germany? Is the cooperation with Ukraine a stable and future-proof investment? And how many of the Alstom employees will KNDS actually take on?" asks Hajo Exner.
The AfD district executive: "These open questions demand clear answers." Politicians must pursue a clear goal: The production of trains must continue in Görlitz. "Our skilled workers should be able to continue working in the professions they have learned and practiced for many years," says Hajo Exner. The state government must help to make Alstom an attractive offer. "We must not allow the industry to migrate to Eastern Europe simply because the economic conditions there are more favorable," said the AfD.
Greens: Opportunity for wagon construction
The Green Alliance in Görlitz is "very concerned" about the current development of the former Görlitz wagon construction company. "Of course, well-paid industrial jobs are very important for our region," says Marcus Kossatz, spokesman for the Görlitz Green Alliance. But we shouldn't be indifferent to what kind of companies they are, he adds. And: "It also seems questionable to us why a wagon construction company of all things should not be profitable in the course of the transport turnaround. It is possible that the course will be set anew from next year under a new Federal Ministry of Transport. Then we will need more tracks and more trains. Some of these can be built here in our region." The Görlitz Green Alliance is therefore in favor of not only preserving the tradition and expertise in wagon construction in Görlitz, but even expanding it. "We want our mayor and the Minister President to send a clear signal for negotiations with Alstom," says Marcus Kossatz.
