After the announcement of factory closures and the reduction of more than 1,500 jobs, the French tire manufacturer Michelin is threatened with redundancies. The IG BCE union wants to save as many of the jobs as possible. Matthias Hille, head of the IG-BCE Mainz district, told the German Press Agency that they are working on alternative concepts for the affected locations in Karlsruhe, Trier and Homburg and are considering how productivity can be increased there. “We want to present ideas to the group in mid or late January.” We are also in discussions with politicians.
IG BCE faces a difficult task when it comes to saving jobs. Hille said he hoped to accommodate individual employees at the Bad Kreuznach location. “But we’re not talking about hundreds.” Bad Kreuznach is also struggling with a fluctuating order situation. In general, there is no clause at Michelin Germany, which excludes redundancies for operational reasons.
Hille held the company accountable in the upcoming talks with employee representatives. “Michelin must follow up on its announcements that it will be there for the people. If we don’t find alternatives for the people, we have to talk about a social plan.”
“We cannot rule out redundancies for operational reasons,” said a company spokeswoman. Maria Röttger, President of the Michelin Northern Europe Region, explained: “At this point we are considering various measures, such as examining internal employment opportunities and the services of a transfer company. I am confident that all employees have a perspective.” We will support each and every one of them.
Michelin ends truck tire production in Germany
The French tire manufacturer announced on Tuesday that it would close the plants in Karlsruhe and Trier by the end of 2025. Michelin also wants to stop producing new truck tires and semi-finished products in Homburg (Saarland). A total of 1,410 production employees are affected by the plans. With the restructuring, Michelin is withdrawing from the production of truck tires in Germany. The group also wants to move a customer contact center to Karlsruhe Poland relocate, which affects another 122 people.
Michelin cited competition from cheap truck tires from low-wage countries, overcapacity and rising production costs as the reason. The retreading of truck tires in Homburg and the car tire factory in Bad Kreuznach are not affected by the restructuring, for which the group is budgeting 425 million euros in costs.
The tire industry in Germany is in crisis. The US company Goodyear recently announced that it would stop tire production in Fürstenwalde and close its factory in Fulda. Around 1,800 jobs are affected. Already had in 2020 Continental the end of a plant in Aachen was announced. According to IG BCE, there are still twelve tire factories in Germany, and with the plans from Goodyear and Michelin a third of them could be eliminated.