Employees with Russian roots should no longer work at the shooting range at the gun manufacturer Heckler & Koch in the Black Forest. This causes misunderstanding and criticism.
Against the background of the Ukraine war, the arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch has transferred employees with Russian roots to its main plant.
It’s about a single-digit number of employees who work in Oberndorf in the Black Forest in “shelling”, i.e. where weapons are tested at the shooting range. Those affected have a family history of migration that points to Russia or other successor states of the Soviet Union. H&K justified the step with the “duty to care for our employees”. Therefore, it was decided to “integrate employees from the security-sensitive area of shelling into other areas of production for a while”.
According to a report by the “Schwarzwälder Bote”, the employees affected reacted with great incomprehension and were deeply disappointed. IG Metall took on the matter and wanted to comment on Wednesday afternoon.
Company rejects criticism
H&K announced that each of the 950 employees at the company’s headquarters also associated worries, fears and hardships with the war. “In view of the threatening situation, the security services in Germany warn against increased external influence on employees in the defense industry.”
What exactly is feared and what exactly could be prevented with the measure remained unclear in the company’s announcement. “With this measure, Heckler & Koch is pursuing the goal of protecting our employees and their family members,” it said. The employees were informed at the end of last week. “The temporarily relocated employees are highly valued colleagues of different national origins or roots who have been doing very good work very well integrated in the company for many years.”
“We reject the accusation of discrimination in the strongest terms,” the statement said. Colleagues from more than 30 nations work for H&K.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
