Trade union fights for every job at Michelin
The tire manufacturer Michelin has to save money. For this reason, three plants in Germany are to close. This threatens 1500 jobs. The IG BCE trade union has announced that it will present alternative concepts. Nevertheless, compulsory redundancies cannot be ruled out.
Following the announcement of plant closures and the loss of more than 1500 jobs, the 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, said Matthias Hille, head of the IG BCE district in Mainz. In mid or late January, ideas and considerations on how to increase productivity there will be presented to the Group. Discussions are also being held with politicians.
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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In response to Michelin's plan to close three plants in Germany and potentially lay off 1500 workers, the IG BCE trade union is proposing alternative concepts to maintain productivity and jobs at the affected sites. However, they acknowledge that compulsory redundancies cannot be completely ruled out.
The closure of Michelin's production plants and the planned relocation of a customer contact center will lead to significant job losses in the German auto industry. With the loss of more than 1500 jobs at Michelin and around 1800 jobs at Goodyear, the tire industry in Germany is facing a severe crisis.
Source: www.ntv.de
