Trade unions meeting in Prague demand no redundancies from Siemens AG
Twenty-five trade union representatives and members of the Siemens European Works Council from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, and the UK met today in Prague for a coordination meeting organised by the European Metalworkers’ Federation (EMF).
The meeting is the second trade union coordination meeting organised after the announcement in June by Siemens’ AG management of drastic downsizing.
The participants of the trade union coordination meeting firmly rejected any attempt by Siemens’ AG management to play one plant off against another. The trade unionists reaffirmed their objection to forced redundancies and any plant closure and expressed full support with the colleagues at the Siemens SKV plant in Prague. Furthermore any programme to restructure plants in Europe must comply with the correct information policy of the European Union.
“The Siemens summer of restructuring is over. It is time to apply social policies in a situation that is fast becoming a competition in negotiation
tactics.” said Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary.
In particular the participants expressed their solidarity with the workers of the Siemens SKV plant in Prague which is scheduled to be closed by 30 September 2009. The workers of the plant go on strike tomorrow between 12H00 and 14H00. The participants of the trade union coordination meeting fully supports the strike and hope for a successful action and the prevention of the closure of the plant.
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PRESS 18/2008
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 Jacklein, EMF Advisor on Company Policy
, Phone: + 32 2 2271057
