Daniela Cavallo represents 600,000 Volkswagen employees worldwide as the car giant's Chairperson of the General and Group Works Council. She is Italian, the daughter of a 'Gastarbeiter' from the southern Italian region of Calabria who migrated to Germany over 50 years ago.

"I have two passports, which is very important for me, my roots influenced me a lot," she told ANSA, as well as other Italian media outlets, during a press briefing at the Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin, while Italian President Sergio Mattarella was meeting with his host, German Head of State Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

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'We have over 100 nationalities working side by side'

While she has reached a leadership role at the company, Cavallo does not deny her "strong concern" for the political climate in Germany linked to the rise of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), and the "massive job losses in the car industry and beyond," also affecting the city of Wolfsburg, where Volkswagen is headquartered.

Germany must "maintain its industrial competitiveness," to remain stable, she explained, and has an "immense need" for immigrants today due to the lack of qualified manpower.

"It is important to remember that in Volkswagen's history and success foreign workers from Italy, Tunisia, Turkey and many other countries also contributed to build" the carmaker when there was a "lack of German manpower", she noted.

Today, workers of over "100 nationalities work side by side and nationality doesn't matter anymore but the work we carry out together does," she stressed.

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'Many fear they will lose the wellbeing they have conquered'

Cavallo refused to discuss the carmaker's problems but, replying to a question about the rise of the AfD, she said: "Naturally, I am very concerned about the development of society in Germany. It is particularly important to represent the positive aspects of immigration and of people, including immigrants, who work for society. And it is key that we all recognize ourselves in democracy and commit to ensuring that hatred, prevarication and division do not prevail."

Asked why many immigrants vote for the far right, she said that many fear the future. "We see the industrial world changing, that jobs are being subjected to massive cuts, in the car industry and in other sectors. Many people fear they will lose the wellbeing they have conquered," explained Cavallo.

"This is why it is important for the industry to remain competitive and everyone has to work" in this direction and "the political world, civil society, unions, as well as companies must take a stance," she added.

Cavallo recalled how her father arrived in Germany in 1969, when he was just 17, and had to wait to come of age in order to work: "I am very happy that people like him, who came to Germany as foreign workers, can see that, after many years, it is possible for the daughter of a foreign worker to be elected to the helm of a labor union organization at Volkswagen and to be responsible for over 600,000 employees all over the world."

This can set the example for many young women, natives or immigrants, who live in the country, she added.

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