Germany: one plant at a time, Continental Automotive negotiates “derogatory agreements” way below the sectoral collective agreement

Continental is doing better…  The official communication of Continental Automotive is trying to look on the bright side.  Since the beginning of the year, Continental has been multiplying optimistic press releases: “This year, we plan on hiring 1,500 high-education graduates and young professionals, 400 of them in Germany” announced the staff manager of the Automotive Heinz-Gerhard Wente division on February 1st.  Two weeks earlier, the manager of Elmar Degenhardt group announced, at the Detroit Auto Show, that Continental sales in 2010 were very promising – over €25bn.  In spite of pressure coming from the high increase in raw materials in the tire division, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) should amount to about 9.5% of sales, the communiqué reads.  Finally, for its 25,000 German employees, Continental Automotive has decided to pay on February 1st, instead of April 1st, the 2.7% wage increase planned in the collective agreement signed with the IG-Metall for the division.  Employees in the tire division aren’t concerned since they belong to the chemistry industry where collective bargaining with the IG BCE union is about to start.
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nnounced the staff manager of the Automotive Heinz-Gerhard Wente division on February 1st. Two weeks earlier, the manager of Elmar Degenhardt group announced, at the Detroit Auto Show, that Continental sales in 2010 were very promising – over €25bn. In spite of pressure coming from the high increase in raw materials in the tire division, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) should amount to about 9.5% of sales, the communiqué reads. Finally, for its 25,000 German employees, Continental Au

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