No reprieve for Michelin’s German plants

Michelin has dashed union and works council hopes of reversing the planned end of truck tyre production in Germany, with company management rejecting a more than 100-page document outlining alternative concepts for maintaining the plants. The IGBCE union and works councils presented the document to the tyre maker last month; according to the union, Michelin management rejected all proposals at the beginning of March.

“The company has rejected convincing and economically sensible ideas,” states Matthias Hille, IGBCE group representative. “Michelin is making the employees at its German sites the victims of a purely strategic decision. I am personally very disappointed.”

Disappointment & frustration

In recent days, Michelin informed more than 1,500 employees at its Karlsruhe, Trier and Homburg sites of the intention to stick to closure plans despite the union and works councils’ proposals. The IGBCE speaks of “very high” levels of disappointment and frustration amongst workers. “It is becoming increasingly clear that the only thing that matters is – where can a tyre be produced most cheaply in Europe so that even more money can be earned?” comments Hille.

In addition to the closure of the Karlsruhe and Trier plants as well as an end to the manufacture of new tyres and semi-finished products in Homburg (retreading will continue), the planned cutbacks affect Michelin’s Karlsruhe-based Customer Contact Center for Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Works council representative Jens Neubauer is sceptical that Michelin will be able to replicate this facility’s expertise when relocating to Warsaw in the coming months. “This will not only affect Michelin’s good name among our customers, but also their trust in the global market leader.”

Negotiations related to redundancy conditions commenced on 14 March and are expected to last several weeks.