Bitter balance: Bosch dampers for Hildesheim employees!

Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies criticizes Bosch for the job cut and rejection of a dialogue with employees.
Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies criticizes Bosch for the job cut and rejection of a dialogue with employees. (Symbolbild/NAG)

Bitter balance: Bosch dampers for Hildesheim employees!

In a tense Situation, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Olaf Lies criticized Bosch's management sharply. The reason: the company had rejected a conversation that had offered as an economic minister for discussion about the challenges at the Hildesheim location. Instead, the talks only took place between politics and employee representatives, which led to considerable displeasure. This is reported by the FAZ

In November, Bosch announced that it would reduce around 750 jobs at the Hildesheim location by 2032, which corresponds to about half of the 1,500 jobs. This is done in a context in which around 600 of these places are to be lost by the end of 2026. The corporate management justifies this drastic step with the need to keep the location competitive. Karsten Müller, area board for manufacturing, referred to the necessary adaptation of the structures and explained that the current conditions in the Hildesheim plant would not enable new orders.

reactions and outlook on the negotiations

Chairman of the works council Stefan Störmer was surprised by the cancellation of the meeting and offered to resume the talks. Lies praised the cooperative attitude of the works council, but left a clear signal that positive perspectives are urgently needed for the employees. In the past negotiations with the corporate management, the employee representatives were unsuccessful, which led to great concern about the future of the location.

In addition to the job cuts, Bosch plans to reduce the weekly working hours for around 10,000 employees, including those at the Hildesheimer location. Employees who currently work 38 to 40 hours a week should only work 35 or 36 hours, which will lead to reduction in salary. IG Metall has already announced resistance to these measures and organized a works meeting for information from the workforce. Works council chief Frank Sell described the dismissals as "slap in the face" of the employees and called for a socially acceptable implementation of the plans.

challenges for the automotive industry

These developments are related to a comprehensive crisis in the automotive industry, which is characterized by stagnant vehicle production and disappointing sales figures in the European electric vehicle market. According to a study on employment in the industry, there is a profound change process; This requires companies such as Bosch to make quick and solid decisions. The Hildesheim plant, which specializes in components for electromobility, has been mentioned in discussions about its future for years. Employees and unions are concerned about the upcoming negotiations, which will be decisive for the further development of the location.

The critical situation and the planned measures underline the pressure that the company exposed to the company in order to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market. The path that Bosch will take in Hildesheim remains to be seen, but the concerns of the employees are more than justified.

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OrtHildesheim, Deutschland
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