Using flexibility. Walkouts, demonstrations, general meetings of the staff… in 12 Alstom sites in Germany (Bammental, Berlin, Bexbach, Düsseldorf, Kassel, Mainz-Kastel, Mannheim, Mönchengladbach, Neumark, Salzgitter, Stendal and Stuttgart) expressed, on Tuesday, November 2nd, their anger towards the staff cutting measures envisaged by the French group. In early October, the latter announced that it intended to cut about 4,000 jobs in its Energy branch worldwide. According to the IG-Metall, 589 are at risk in Germany, 474 of which in Mannheim, which currently employs nearly 2,300 people. Alstom’s German WCs and the IG-Metall say that these job cuts won’t help the group get back on its feet. On the contrary, they will weaken it and bring competitiveness down. Consequently, the WCs and the IG-Metall called on the management to use the flexibility tools provided for by collective agreements and the law (such as short-time working, gradual early retirement, qualification measures or working time cuts), to adjust production without laying off. Besides, the staff representatives urged the French group to “replace its strict and centralized management structure with local units capable to react.” They think the latter should be able to make “their own decisions” and to “find creative and independent ways to answer the customers’ specific needs” in different countries.
exibility tools provided for by collective agreements and the law (such as short-time working, gradual early retirement, qualification measures or working time cuts), to adjust production without laying off.
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