The French tire manufacturer wants to close its factories in Trier and Karlsruhe and stop producing truck tires in Homburg, Saarland. Now the end for the works is final.
At the French tire manufacturer Michelin, the announced closure of several plants in Germany has been sealed. The IG BCE union has failed in its attempts to prevent the closure of the locations in Trier and Karlsruhe and to mitigate job losses there and in Homburg in Saarland. The IG BCE announced on Friday in Hanover that the group had rejected all proposals from the employee side to preserve the plants and some of the jobs. The employees in Karlsruhe, Homburg and Trier have been informed that Michelin is sticking to its restructuring measures. More than 1,500 jobs are affected.
According to the union, negotiations to balance interests and for a social plan have already begun. “We will do everything we can to ensure that Michelin lives up to its so often invoked social responsibility. Anyone who does not want to continue to operate the locations with good concepts must now put the necessary funds on the table for reasonable future prospects for the affected employees,” demanded Matthias Hille, IG BCE -Group manager for the company.
Michelin said the majority of the proposals could not be implemented. “They are not economically viable or contradict Michelin’s sustainable business strategy.” However, some aspects will be taken into account for negotiations with the social partners – such as employment opportunities within the Michelin Group or approaches to redesigning the locations.
What measures are planned?
Michelin announced in the fall that it would gradually close the traditional plants in Karlsruhe and Trier by the end of 2025 and stop producing new truck tires and semi-finished products in Homburg. Only the retreading of truck tires will be retained at the Saarland location. More than 800 jobs will be lost there alone. Michelin also plans to relocate a customer center from Karlsruhe to Poland. The cuts were justified by low-cost competition from Asia and rising costs.
The IG BCE tried to prevent the worst cuts. She had made proposals for the creation of competence centers, more specialized production, the consolidation of plants and partial job cuts in order to reduce costs.
The tire industry in Germany is in crisis: a third of 12 factories are set to close. The US group Goodyear also wants to close its plants in Fulda and Fürstenwalde, Brandenburg.
Source: Stern
