Latest news with #IGMetall
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thyssenkrupp putting 20,000 jobs at risk in overhaul, says union
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's IG Metall union sees around a fifth of jobs at Thyssenkrupp at risk, a senior official was quoted as saying on Friday, following the conglomerate's recent plans to turn into a holding company. On Monday, Thyssenkrupp said it would pursue plans to sell minority stakes in three of its five divisions, with the other two - submarines and steel - already in the process of being spun off or partly divested. "The plans could see more than 20,000 employees' positions slashed," Juergen Kerner, deputy chairman of both the IG Metall union and Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board, told Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) newspaper. Thyssenkrupp has already announced plans to cut or outsource up to 11,000 jobs at its steel division TKSE and plans to slash around 1,800 jobs at its automotive unit. Kerner said that Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board would meet in June to approve the spin-off of the group's submarine and warship division TKMS, which is planned for later this year. Turning to steel, Kerner criticised Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who last year bought a 20% stake in TKSE and is in talks to acquire another 30% contingent on a job cuts deal with workers. "I now consider Mr Kretinsky less and less to be the right buyer," Kerner said, adding the billionaire had resisted sharing his plans for the steel business for more than a year. (Writing by Friederike Heine and Christoph Steitz; Editing by Matthias Williams and Susan Fenton) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Thyssenkrupp putting 20,000 jobs at risk in overhaul
BERLIN: Germany's IG Metall union sees around a fifth of jobs at Thyssenkrupp at risk, a senior official was quoted as saying on Friday, following the conglomerate's recent plans to turn into a holding company. On Monday, Thyssenkrupp said it would pursue plans to sell minority stakes in three of its five divisions, with the other two - submarines and steel - already in the process of being spun off or partly divested. 'The plans could see more than 20,000 employees' positions slashed,' Juergen Kerner, deputy chairman of both the IG Metall union and Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board, told Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) newspaper. Thyssenkrupp has already announced plans to cut or outsource up to 11,000 jobs at its steel division TKSE and plans to slash around 1,800 jobs at its automotive unit. Kerner said that Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board would meet in June to approve the spin-off of the group's submarine and warship division TKMS, which is planned for later this year. Turning to steel, Kerner criticised Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who last year bought a 20% stake in TKSE and is in talks to acquire another 30% contingent on a job cuts deal with workers. 'I now consider Mr Kretinsky less and less to be the right buyer,' Kerner said, adding the billionaire had resisted sharing his plans for the steel business for more than a year.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
German union fears 20,000 job cuts at Thyssenkrupp, newspaper reports
BERLIN, May 30 (Reuters) - Germany's IG Metall union sees more than 20,000 jobs at risk at Thyssenkrupp ( opens new tab, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported on Friday, three days after the conglomerate announced plans to sell minority stakes in three divisions as part of a wider overhaul. "The plans could see more than 20,000 employees' positions slashed," said Juergen Kerner, deputy chairman of IG Metall and Thyssenkrupp supervisory board member, told the newspaper.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Largest German union drops four-day week demands amid economic slump
Germany's largest trade union is dropping demands for a four-day week due to the country's economic struggles. "A four-day week with full wages is not currently on the union's list of demands," said Christiane Benner, chairwoman of IG Metall, on Tuesday. Benner told the Bild tabloid that the policy remains sensible. However, due to Germany's languishing economy, workers are currently facing a reduction in working hours due to employers' cost-cutting measures, she argued. Many German businesses oppose proposals to introduce a four-day week with full pay. In a March survey by the pro-business German Economic Institute, 94% of 823 companies survey said the move would hurt value creation. In addition, almost 70% said they believed that work would go undone and that Germany would be left behind compared to international competitors. IG Metall has emphasized that German companies must take responsibility to ensure their business models are viable in the future, to invest and to secure jobs. "We recognize the seriousness of the situation. But we also see that many companies lack strategies for the future and are not making the necessary investments," Benner said. Germany's economy - Europe's largest - has been in recession for two consecutive years, and experts expect the struggles to continue in 2025.
Qatar Tribune
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Qatar Tribune
Ford workers in German Cologne stage historic 1st strike
Agencies Ford workers at plants in the western German city of Cologne started a historic first strike on Wednesday, bringing production largely to a standstill as they tried to push back against planned job cuts. The walkout is the first to take place in almost 100 years of operation at the two plants, which were founded in 1930. Pickets were set up at factory gates in the early morning, where strikers could receive codes to claim strike pay online. IG Metall union spokesperson David Ludtke said work had stopped completely, with the walkout affecting the entire location, including production, development and administration. Only essential staff were being allowed access through a dedicated gate. If someone insisted on breaking the strike, they would be allowed in – 'but we'll talk to them first,' Ludtke said. By 7 a.m. GMT, only three people had defied the call to strike and passed the gate. The walkout is scheduled to end on Thursday morning after the final night shifts and aims to increase pressure on management to reconsider cost-cutting plans. Management is looking to cut 2,900 jobs by the end of 2027 at the Cologne site, which also includes Ford's European headquarters and employs a total of 11,500 people, already far fewer than the 20,000 who worked there in 2018. IG Metall, one of Germany's most powerful unions that represents workers across different manufacturing sectors, is advocating for a change of course as well as high severance payments for workers who agree to leave voluntarily or whose jobs are outsourced to other firms. Ford is prohibited from dismissing employees for operational reasons until 2032. Of the 11,500 Ford employees in Cologne, around 4,500 work in production and 3,500 in product development, according to the union. Around 1,700 people are employed in a spare parts center, while there are also administrative and other departments. Ford currently produces two electric SUVs in Cologne, sales of which have fallen well short of expectations, despite investments amounting to almost 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion). According to the head of the works council at Ford Germany, Benjamin Gruschka, pressure on Ford is now increasing significantly as a result of the strike. 'It really hurts, it's costing them a few million today,' said Gruschka. If management does not budge in the negotiations, workers will stage further walkouts, he warned. 'Then we will have more strike days, and then it will hurt more and more.' Gruschka stressed the importance of the industrial action, noting that the U.S. parent company had cancelled a Comfort Letter – a kind of guarantee for the Ford Germany subsidiary – thus paving the way for 'possible insolvency.' 'The colleagues know that it's all or nothing.' By terminating the Comfort Letter, it is now technically possible for Ford-Werke GmbH, the German subsidiary, to declare insolvency. Union IG Metall is insisting on a financial safety net from the U.S. parent company for the employees in case insolvency proceedings are initiated. There is currently no concrete indication that insolvency is on the cards, especially as the massive debt accumulated by Ford Germany has recently been significantly reduced thanks to a U.S. cash injection. After the start of the strike, a Ford spokesperson said the company was 'optimistic' that talks between the sides would lead to an agreement. The strikers were joined by Jochen Ott, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the regional parliament, who accused Ford management of 'unspeakable behavior' toward the workers. 'The employees have a right to receive reasonable social offers – in the event that certain jobs are lost,' he said. He criticized Ford for switching production in Cologne to electric cars only in 2023. Ott recalled a conversation with a Ford manager back in 2010, who at the time dismissed electric cars as 'rubbish.' 'Ford has pursued the completely wrong strategy and the employees now have to spoon up the soup that the management has made for them,' he said. The U.S. parent company, Ford, continues to be successful thanks to commercial vehicles and pick-ups, but these are not manufactured in Germany. The passenger car segment, focused on Europe, continues to be a loss-maker for the group. According to official figures, Ford models only accounted for 3.5% of newly registered cars in Germany last year, compared to 5% in 2022.
