The announcement from Heineken’s headquarters came as a surprise: Brau Union (which includes Zipfer Bier, Puntigamer and Gösser) is cutting up to 50 employees at its headquarters in Linz. The financial department is particularly affected, spokeswoman Gabriele Straka confirms: “It is essentially about increasing efficiency.”
Straka emphasizes that no production takes place in Linz. “But yes, it is true: between 40 and 50 employees will be laid off,” says Gabriele Straka of Brau Union. Since 2003, the company with 2,600 employees in Austria has been part of the Dutch Heineken group, with headquarters in Amsterdam. There too, it was decided to organize the administration within the group more efficiently and cost-effectively.
The financial administration is concentrated in Krakow (Poland), the other areas in Austria – especially the breweries – are not affected, Straka assures: “This is purely about administrative areas.”
Employees have already been informed
The employees involved were informed of the decision in individual conversations. The company promises that twenty employees have been offered to move to other locations, and that there is a social plan and individual solutions for hardship.
The Brau Union has close roots in Upper Austria: it was founded in Linz in 1921 and has continuously expanded. In addition to Linz as the main location, where no beer is produced, there is the brewery in Zipf in the Vöcklabruck district and sales warehouses in Wels, Bad Ischl and Steyr.
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.
