European action day at Bosch Europe

19/02/2010

Metalworkers call for a coherent and consistent industrial policy and for consequent social responsibility of Bosch.

Bosch workers in seven countries (more than 21 production sites) participate on Monday, 22^nd February 2010 in protest actions to defend employment.

Direct motivation is the closure of the Cardiff plant producing starters and generators (Wales, UK) where 900 workers are laid off in a structurally weakened region.

Together with the European Works Council of Bosch, the European Metalworkers' Federation considers that 14 plant closures in Europe alone over the past 24 months caused already hardship for thousands of workers.

Workers and their trade unions now will fight back, and no longer accept to pay for a crisis they did not cause.

Around a common slogan: “Enough is enough! Bosch workers in Europe defend their jobs”, the workers will participate in various forms during the protest action day, and show in particular their solidarity with the workers in Cardiff.

The constant pressure on jobs within Bosch Europe has devastating consequences on workers' living standards and on their working conditions. They are against social dumping in respect of their working conditions and playing workers off against each other. All European workers consider reducing wages and lowering working conditions (be it through relocation of production or through plant closures) as a threat to their living conditions what might endanger the economic, social and political fabric in the affected regions.

After plant closures in the following locations: France: Beauvais, Pont de l’Arche, United Kingdom: Cardiff, Germany: Rothenfels, Rommelsbach, Hildesheim. Spain: Alcala, Pamplona, La Carolina. Portugal: Villa Real, Netherlands: Buinen, Breda. Sweden: Katrineholm. Hungary: Kecskemet, they now have decided to make their fight visible and no longer just accept to bargain for severance packages.

It is not acceptable that production sites in geographically remote areas and weak economic tissue are closed, removing workers' possibilities for alternative jobs for a long time.

The following sites have already confirmed their participation in the action day:

country	site	Action
DE	Hildesheim	information session
DE	Schwieberdingen	Information Session
DE	Feuerbach	Information Session
DE	Abstatt	Information Session
DE	Sebnitz	solidarity letters
DE	Magdeburg	Information Session
DE	Schillerhöhe	distributing flyers
DE	Bosch Rexroth: site to be confirmed	flyer distribution and petition
DE	Homburg	flyer distribution
DE	wetzlar	information session
DE	Breidenbach	flyer distribution
DE	Eisenach	flyer distribution
ES	all sites	leaflet drop
FR	moulin-yseure	flyer distribution
IT	Bari	flyer distribution
PT	Braga	information session
PT	Abrantes	information session
NL	Tilburg	posting on information boards
NL	Weert	flyer distribution and petition

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PRESS 7/2010

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:

Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary, + 32 2 227 10 10

Alfred Löckle, EWC BOSCH +49 711 811 7588, Alfred.Loeckle@de.bosch.com

Christian Weis, IG Metall, +49 (69) 6693 2220, christian.weis@igmetall.de