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Brussels, 13 August 2015 – Further to Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Coca-Cola Iberian Partners SA (CCIP) and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke AG (CCEAG)’s agreement to combine their businesses into a new company, Coca-Cola European Partners Plc, EFFAT, the European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions, expresses worries over the mega merger’s potential negative impact on jobs.
Expected to close in 2016 and based on net revenues with more than 50 bottling plants, the merger will establish the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, serving a consumer population of over 300 million in 13 countries across Western Europe, including Andorra, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Iceland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands.
At a particularly difficult time for the famous soft drink’s consumption in Europe, EFFAT cannot but fear negative impacts on the three bottlers’ labor pool of more than 25000.
Last week’s final agreement on the merger confirms the 10 years long developments within the Coca-Cola system, consisting in a progressive consolidation of the European operations.
Harald Wiedenhofer, EFFAT General Secretary, commented on the merger saying: “In recent years Coca-Cola employees in Europe have paid a very high price during each step leading to the progressive consolidation of the European operations. The restructuring process that recently took place in Spain is just one of the latest examples. We fear that this mega merger could result in another attack on jobs and overall negative implications for European workers”.
EFFAT stresses its commitment to ensuring that the decision taken by the top management will not be detrimental to European employees. With this EFFAT will hold a coordination meeting in September to reach a common approach for the way forward.
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