Parliament - Working group on Goodyear closure plan starts in January
Following the announcement of tire manufacturer Goodyear 's closure plans, a working group will be looking into the future of the Fürstenwalde site from January 2024. This was announced by Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) on Wednesday in the Economics Committee of the state parliament in Potsdam. His goal is still to leave no stone unturned in order to reverse Goodyear's decision. "Please don't think that I can perform miracles at this point," Steinbach also said.
The tire manufacturer plans to discontinue its traditional tire production in Fürstenwalde in the Oder-Spree district of East Brandenburg by the end of 2027. 750 jobs are then expected to be cut.
Economics Minister Steinbach said that the company had promised that "initial personnel adjustments" would not take effect before the first quarter of 2025. This leaves the year 2024 to hold talks on the location. Around 930 people work for the tire manufacturer in Fürstenwalde.
According to Steinbach, the working group, which will meet for the first time at the beginning of January, will include employer representatives, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and a representative of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE). The first step will be a site analysis for the Fürstenwalde site. "I am not yet discussing the question of a buyer or alternative business models," said Steinbach.
The company is also continuing talks with the employees about the consequences of the closure plans and the planned job cuts. A spokesperson for the company told dpa that the company was planning further in-depth talks with representatives of the Ministry to explain the background to the decision, in parallel to the negotiations with the social partners.
Economics Minister Steinbach said that there was a structural and overall German problem in the rubber tire industry. He was also in talks with IG-BCE boss Michael Vassiliadis about this.
According to the company, only a small part of the Goodyear site in Fürstenwalde is to be retained: Rubber compounds are produced there and supplied to the other plants in Europe. In addition, tire production in Fulda is to be closed. Cheap imports from Asia and inflationary pressure were cited as reasons for the difficult situation.
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- The working group, led by Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach, will discuss the future of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber site in Fürstenwalde starting in January 2024, as stated in the state parliament in Potsdam.
- Jörg Steinbach (SPD) emphasized that he aims to explore all possibilities to reverse Goodyear's closure plans for the Fürstenwalde site, where 930 employees work.
- The tire manufacturer, Goodyear, plans to stop traditional tire production in Fürstenwalde by the end of 2027, leading to an estimated 750 job losses.
- Economics Minister Steinbach revealed that Goodyear agreed to delay initial personnel adjustments until the first quarter of 2025, allowing for dialogue on the site's future in the intervening year.
- Steinbach's working group, which includes employer representatives, Ministry officials, and a representative from the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE), will begin with a site analysis to evaluate potential for the Fürstenwalde facility.
- Jörg Steinbach clarified that the group's focus is not yet on finding a buyer or alternative business models for the site, but he intends to leave no stone unturned in addressing the Goodyear closure plans.
- Goodyear will continue negotiating the consequences of their closure plans with employees and is also engaging in detailed discussions with Ministry representatives to provide context about the decision-making process, alongside social partner dialogues.
Source: www.stern.de
