Thousands of Bosch employees protested on Wednesday in Gerlingen near Stuttgart (Germany) against the company’s planned job cuts (see video above). There were also counter-protests in other places. The car supplier has now defended its plans and promised a dialogue with employees.
“We work with a sense of proportion and want to arrive at socially acceptable solutions together with the employee representatives. However, we cannot avoid the necessary job losses,” said HR manager Stefan Grosch. This must also be done quickly. The technology company already has overcapacity in many places and the challenges would become significantly greater. Competition and price pressure have increased significantly.
More than 7,000 jobs have been affected
In Germany’s automotive supply division ‘Mobility Solutions’ alone, almost 3,000 jobs will be ‘dismantled in a socially acceptable manner’, while more than 7,000 jobs will be affected in other areas. Dismissals for operational reasons are excluded until 2027 after agreement with the works council. According to the union, 4,000 jobs have already been cut in the past four years in the core sector, which employs more than 230,000 people worldwide.
Bosch’s plans to cut jobs worldwide have been announced several times in recent months. The main reason given by the automotive supplier was to maintain competitiveness. The range largely concerns German locations, but also in the field of control equipment, vehicle electronics and software.
25,000 people protested
The company defines “socially acceptable downsizing” as including early retirement schemes and qualification programs for growth areas. More than 25,000 people across Germany protested against the layoffs on Wednesday, most of them in front of the company’s headquarters on Gerlinger Schillerhöhe near Stuttgart.
“The message is: stop, it cannot continue like this. We will not allow ourselves to be treated this way. Stop this crazy workforce reduction,” said Frank Sell, head of the supply division works council. Management has so far rejected central discussions. “You have to let it all sink in: such a huge undertaking. And then we are told: the reduction in the workforce must be negotiated per location. According to the motto: Divide and conquer,” Sell continued to criticize. The current decisions would not only “jeopardize our livelihoods, but also the innovative power and future safety of Bosch.”
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.
