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Thirty trade union representatives and members of the European Works Council from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia and the UK have met today for a coordination meeting organised by the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF). The meeting concluded in the announcement of European-wide support for the demonstration to be organised in Erlangen, Germany on 23rd July.
The meeting comes in the wake of the recent announcement by Siemens’ AG management of drastic downsizing: 18.000 jobs worldwide are going to be axed of which more than 30% will take place in Germany.
In a top-to-bottom approach management is attempting to cut costs by 20%. “It is clearly irresponsible to make the workforce shoulder the burden of the cost-cutting and it certainly does not help Siemens to increase competitiveness” commented Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary. “It will only increase uncertainty among workers and it will create counterproductive effects in the workforce” he added.
Trade union members and EWC representatives have expressed their massive discontentment towards the information policy of Siemens’ AG management. Employees’ representatives in the European Works Council exercising their fundamental rights to be kept informed of details on the restructuring plan have been kept in the dark by management. No detailed information has been disseminated to employees’ representatives despite Siemens’ management publicly announcing 18.000 job cuts.
The participants of the trade union coordination meeting firmly rejected any attempt by Siemens’ management to play one plant off against another. The trade unionists reaffirmed their objection to any plant closure and to forced redundancies.
“We will not accept any site closure and forced redundancies. Massive job cuts in combination with hiring thousands of new workers are a paradox. Siemens urgently needs to reconsider its personnel and training policies” said Peter Scherrer.
To underline their willingness towards European-wide action, the participants declared their full support for the announced one hour work stoppage in Siemens Erlangen and the demonstration on the 23rd of July.
The demonstration organised by the German metalworkers’ trade union, IG Metall, is just the first round in a long fight to defend jobs at Siemens.
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PRESS 17/2008
The EMF is the representative body defending the interests of workers in the European metal industry. The EMF has a mandate for the external representation and coordination of the metalworkers' unions and a mandate to engage in bargaining at European level.
For further information please contact:
Editor, Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary
Wolf Jäcklein, EMF Advisor on Company Policy + 32 2 2271057
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PRESS 17/2008
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