Vattenfall, the Swedish energy group, announced in early March that it intended to cut about 2,500 jobs, including 1,500 in Germany, where it is planning to do so without laying anyone off. Indeed, on April 10, the company signed an agreement with three German unions (IG Metall, IG BCE and Verdi) extending its job security agreement until February 2017. Vattenfall’s approximately 15,000 German employees will also get a 2.6% retroactive wage increase on March 1, 2013, followed by a 1.8% increase on April 1, 2014. (Ref. 130246)
Job security, biggest bone of contention. “I’m glad we came to this agreement without another strike” Torsten Meyer, Vattenfall Director of Personnel, declared, apparently relieved, after the negotiations. Indeed, this agreement puts an end to an intense conflict. In March, several thousands of Vattenfall employees were involved in warning strikes across the Swedish group’s sites in Germany. After the third bargaining round failed on March 20, the three unions involved – IG BCE (chemistry),
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