Inflation, motorhome prices and Carthago strike

[slowdriver]

An article in today's Financial Times entitled "German workers strike for higher pay as inflation surges" gives Carthago as an example of a general trend in German and worldwide inflationary pressure.:

 

"In one example this week, workers at German motorhome maker Carthago went on strike over pay, demanding their share of the spoils from a surge in orders thanks to a pandemic-fuelled rise in “staycations”.

 

“Inflation in Germany keeps going up,” said Frederic Striegler, an official at the country’s biggest union, IG Metall, explaining its demand for a 4.5 per cent pay increase and extra early retirement funds for wood and plastic workers at Carthago and other companies in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany.

 

“The motorhome industry has got so many orders and so much profits and employees just want a share of the cake,” said Striegler, adding that more strikes were planned in two weeks at makers of motorhomes and caravans, as well as furniture companies across the country.

 

Unions are making similar pay demands for German workers in other areas, such as banking and in the public sector. This week, retailers and mail order companies in the Hesse region agreed to raise their workers’ pay by 3 per cent this year and a further 1.7 per cent in April next year."

 

Good for them, but bad for Motorhome prices I imagine.

 

 

 

[goldi]

Good morning,

 

 

Yes new prices will go up but used prices will also rise as they are more affordable. More the reason to keep them in good nick

[Tracker]

Nothing that any of us do will affect the price / vfm balance.

 

Therefore we take the view that we will buy what we want as long as our perception that it offers good vfm for the purpose envisaged remains.

 

I never have seen a new van as offering acceptable (to me) vfm as the cost per night of use is unacceptably high for my liking.

 

A decent 3 plus year old van has, for me, always represented much better vfm in terms of usability, reliability, cost of ownership and depreciation.

 

That said we do rely on buyers of new vehicles to keep 'em nice and maintain that second hand choice!