Bosch European action day on 16th February
Metalworkers’ Trade Unions within Bosch organise a European action day on 16th February
Simultaneous protest actions are taking place today at the Bosch Brakes division production sites in France (Angers, Pont de l’Arche, Beauvais, and Drancy - Moulins on 17th), Spain (Lliça, Pamplona, and Buelna), Italy (Bari), Portugal (Abrantes) and Germany (Abstatt and Breidenbach).
The workers are deeply concerned about the future of their jobs. They are demanding a clear strategy for the industrial activities. There will always be a need for brake technology regardless of the future technology for cars. Therefore this has a clear future and must be maintained within the Robert Bosch Group.
The workers express their opposition to any job cuts via full support for the various actions taking place.
The trade unions fear attempts by the company’s general management to play off the different sites in Europe against each other. In a joint statement, they announced that they had developed a communication structure to facilitate the rapid dissemination of information between all sites. This is a precondition for successful European-wide solidarity.
“A European social dialogue in the Bosch group can only work, if central management guarantees a functioning dialogue at plant level in every single country,” stated Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary. "The company currently lacks a competent management representative for such a social dialogue at several sites. The workers and their representatives demand to be fully involved in any further developments and in the decision-making process within their division. This requires fully functional dialogue structures both at national and European level and it is to emphasise these demands that the workers have organised this European action day."
___________
PRESS 7/2009
______________
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 Jäcklein, Policy Advisor +32.2.227 1057
Report from Italy
Bosch Brakes Division European Action Day 16th February 2009
A 1-hour general assembly took place today in the plant in Bari.
800 workers (all those actually working at the moment) went to hear the three general secretaries (FIM-CISL, FIOM-CGIL and UILM) talking about the discussions in Brussels, concern about the future and the decisions taken.
The workers expressed their various concerns about the future. Even though the general climate produced by management is quite optimistic for the plant, the general feeling among the workers is that something is going to happen even if they do not have any details.
We can say that the Italian joint action day was a success.
