Siemens tries to close its plant in Thessaloniki without prior consultation

This information came as a surprise to all workers concerned, as no prior information was given to their local works council. Local trade unions and workers’ representatives are fearful that the whole procedure will be conducted in a hurried manner in order to exclude the possibility of trade union and worker representative intervention to seek alternative solutions and a future for the plant.

Peter Scherrer, General Secretary of the European Metalworkers’ Federation, underlines that this way of proceeding is completely unacceptable: “Siemens, as a Europe-based company, is very aware of our minimum standards of social dialogue. Siemens’ management should honour a decent level of workers’ participation everywhere. It is inadmissible that, in Greece, all those widely accepted standards are disregarded.”

The Siemens’ European Works Council, and the local works council and trade unions are the appropriate bodies for opening a constructive social dialogue. A constructive dialogue with these bodies would allow the workers concerned to participate and it would set a process in motion for defining the future of their plant. In the EMF’s view, it is incomprehensible that the instruments that would reduce the negative social impact on the employees concerned are not being used.

The EMF appeals to Siemens’ management to immediately open the dialogue with the workers’ representatives on all appropriate levels.

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PRESS 23/2008

The EMF is the representative body defending the interests of workers in the European metal industry. The EMF has a mandate for the external representation and coordination of the metalworkers' unions and a mandate to engage in bargaining at European level.

For further information please contact:

Editor, Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary

Wolf Jaecklein, EMF Advisor on Company Policy + 32 2 2271027