Industry - Plant closures at Michelin - Struggle for jobs
Following the announcement of plant closures and the loss of more than 1500 jobs, French tire manufacturer Michelin is facing compulsory redundancies. The IG BCE trade union wants to save as many jobs as possible.
They are working on alternative concepts for the affected sites in Karlsruhe, Trier and Homburg and are considering how to increase productivity there, Matthias Hille, head of the IG BCE district in Mainz, told the German Press Agency. "We want to present ideas to the Group in the middle or end of January." Talks are also being held with politicians.
Difficult task
The IG BCE faces a difficult task when it comes to saving jobs. Hille said that he hoped to accommodate individual employees at the Bad Kreuznach site. "But we're not talking about hundreds." After all, Bad Kreuznach is also struggling with a fluctuating order situation. In general, there is no clause at Michelin in Germany that excludes redundancies.
Hille held the Group accountable for the upcoming talks with employee representatives. "Michelin must follow up its announcements about being there for the people with action. "If we can't find alternatives for the people, we have to talk about a social plan."
"We cannot rule out compulsory redundancies," said a company spokeswoman. Maria Röttger, President of Michelin's Northern Europe region, said: "At this stage, we are considering various measures, such as looking at internal employment opportunities and the services of a transfer company. I am confident that all employees have a perspective." Everyone will be supported.
Michelin ends truck tire production in Germany
The French tire manufacturer announced on Tuesday that it would be closing its plants in Karlsruhe and Trier by the end of 2025. Michelin also plans to discontinue the production of new truck tires and semi-finished products in Homburg (Saarland). A total of 1410 employees in production are affected by the plans. With the restructuring, Michelin is withdrawing from the production of truck tires in Germany. The company also plans to relocate a customer contact center from Karlsruhe to Poland, which will affect a further 122 people.
Michelin cited competition from low-cost truck tires from low-wage countries, overcapacity and rising production costs as the reasons. The retreading of truck tires in Homburg and the car tire plant in Bad Kreuznach are not affected by the restructuring, for which the group is planning to spend 425 million euros.
The tire industry in Germany is in crisis. Only recently, the US company Goodyear announced that it would cease tire production in Fürstenwalde and close its plant in Fulda. This affects around 1800 jobs. Continental had already announced the closure of a plant in Aachen in 2020. According to IG BCE, there are still twelve tire plants in Germany, and the plans by Goodyear and Michelin could mean the loss of a third of them.
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- The closure of Michelin's plants in Karlsruhe and Trier will result in the loss of over 1400 production jobs in Germany.
- The trade union IG BCE is striving to save jobs at the affected Michelin sites in Rhineland-Palatinate, including Homburg.
- Matthias Hille, the head of IG BCE in Mainz, stated that they are looking into increasing productivity at these sites and presenting alternative concepts by January.
- The fluctuating order situation in Bad Kreuznach also poses challenges for industries aiming to retain employees.
- Michelin's restructuring in Germany includes shutting down truck tire production in Karlsruhe and Trier by 2025.
- The French tire company also plans to discontinue truck tire production and semi-finished products in Homburg, citing competition and higher production costs.
- IG BCE is pushing for Michelin to stand by its pledge to support employees and consider social plans if alternative measures fail.
- The German press agency reported that the tire industry in Germany is facing a crisis, with even more plants threatened by closures across the country.
- An additional 122 workers in Karlsruhe will be affected as Michelin relocates a customer contact center to Poland.
Source: www.stern.de
