Jürgen Kerner, Second Chairman of IG Metall and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG, explains the joint statement announced today by the shareholder representatives on the Supervisory Board of thyssenkrupp AG:
“We firmly reject the allegations and insinuations made by the shareholder representatives. The explanation is an obvious attempt to reverse cause and effect and duck responsibility. It’s cheap and lacks style. It is not the person who shouts “fire” who is responsible for the fire, but the person who sets the fire.
It is outrageous to fantasize about “threats to the safety of people and systems”. Anyone who accuses their own workforce of such an approach is acting completely irresponsibly. It is telling when owners portray their own employees as potential attackers.
It is true: the employees are deeply unsettled. However, the sole responsibility for this is the reckless, non-transparent and unprofessional actions of Mr. Lopez and Mr. Russwurm. It was Mr. Lopez with his public appearance one day after the supervisory board meeting of thyssenkrupp Steel that rekindled the fears of the employees. It was Mr. Russwurm who used his double votes to issue blank checks to Mr. Lopez and thereby terminated a trusting collaboration with the employees.
The employee side never questioned the necessary restructuring. In fact, we were the ones who requested an IDW6 report months ago – it was rejected by Messrs. Russwurm and Lopez for months. Short- and medium-term financing had to be fought over for weeks between the steel division and the company, so far without any result. However, the restructuring itself can only be discussed in detail once the financing has been clarified.
There was no communication with the employee side of the Supervisory Board prior to the statement published this afternoon. I therefore note that the employer side prioritizes external communication over internal dialogue. I call on the shareholder representatives to provide clarity and perspective instead of continuing to throw smoke candles.”