Somewhere between a changing table and the production hall. The biggest heavyweight assembly plant in the world, Mercedes-Benz’s site in Wörth, North Rhine-Westphalia, spreads over 2.4000.000 square meters. Each day, 470 Actros, Axor, Atego, Econic or Unimog trucks come out of the production line. In Germany, nearly one in two trucks was made in Wörth. At the plant, about 7,600 people fuss over the assembly lines. Thomas Fischer, posted worker and father of 3, is one of them. When his second daughter, Lia, was born, he took one year off. During that time, to have enough time for his family without taking a full break from his job, he went to the plant one day a week. When Ben, his third child, was born, he took a shorter (3 months) leave while his wife took one year off. “I went to a staff representative who scheduled a meeting with the HR department. We looked at what was possible and I got the consent of my supervisor and team leader. It all went very well, I got what I wanted” he explains before adding, “For me, these two months spent with my family matter more than the few euros I would have earned had I worked full time.”
k one year off. During that time, to have enough time for his family without taking a full break from his job, he went to the plant one day a week. When Ben, his third child, was born, he took a shorter (3 months) leave while his wife took one year off. “I went to a staff representative who scheduled a meeting with the HR department. We looked at what was possible and I got the consent of my supervisor and team leader. It all went very well, I got what I wanted” he explains before adding, “
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