Mercedes-Benz should make batteries in Untertuerkheim - labour boss

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Labour representatives at Mercedes-Benz's biggest transmission factory in Untertuerkheim in Stuttgart demanded it should build batteries for its new electric vehicle at the site to safeguard jobs. German carmakers including Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler are investing heavily in electric vehicles (EVs), spurred by advances in battery technology and a growing backlash against the environmental impact of diesel fumes. "The employees expect that the company doesn't just expand (its plant in) Kamenz for battery production but that capacities for batteries are also created in Untertuerkheim," Wolfgang Nieke, the works council chief at Mercedes-Benz's Untertuerkheim plant said in a statement on Friday. The Untertuerkheim site, which employs 19,000 people, would be hardest hit by the shift to electronic cars. "If Untertuerkheim delivers transmissions, engines and axles to the carmaking plants today, then it should in the future supply batteries and electrified powertrains," Nieke said. Managers are to address the plant's workers on Monday. (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)