In connection with the ailing furniture chain Kika/Leiner and the imminent layoff of up to 2000 employees, Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Kocher (ÖVP) invites people to a round table this Friday. Representatives of the social partners, the AMS and the Insolvency Compensation Fund (IEF) discuss the way forward. Those affected should be offered perspective as soon as possible, it said.
The goal is to mediate as quickly as possible. The currently high number of vacancies can help. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, there were about 117,000 vacancies at the AMS at the end of May, of which almost a fifth (approximately 17 percent) are in the retail sector. The main actor for the rapid deployment is the AMS, which is already in close contact with the company. The IEF, which also participates in the roundtable, is intended to secure employees’ outstanding compensation claims.
Start immediately with a new job
We expressly want to start posting during the current notice period in order to ensure that affected employees can, in the best case scenario, enter into a new employment relationship immediately after the notice period has expired. “We will do everything we can in close coordination with the AMS, the IEF and the social partners so that employees can quickly find a new job in the current labor market situation with many vacancies,” says Kocher: “That is now our most important task. The company also does not want to be relieved of its responsibility.
The restructuring process for the struggling furniture chain was opened last Tuesday at the regional court in St. Pölten. 23 of the 40 branches in Austria will be closed, which could lead to up to 2,000 employees losing their jobs.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
