According to a company representative, this process will be carried out in a “socially acceptable manner” over the next ten years and will not involve layoffs. The most affected sites will be the headquarters in Munich with 1,300 jobs, Salzgitter with 600, and Nuremberg with 400 positions.
Over a Thousand Munich Jobs at Risk: MAN Plans Cutbacks
The company stated that MAN must adapt to a “persistently weak truck market in Germany and further improve its cost position.” High energy and labor costs, coupled with growing pressure from Asian competitors, are exacerbating the situation and impacting profits. “We are now entering a phase of high investment and must consistently generate profits to expand our product portfolio,” the representative noted. The transition to electric commercial vehicles in Europe is still in its early stages.
MAN reported that the number of job reductions will be lower than the number of employees retiring. The company will continue to hire and will remain a significant German commercial vehicle manufacturer with approximately 13,000 employees, the representative stated. “All our production sites in Munich, Nuremberg, Salzgitter, and Wittlich are to be preserved.” The company plans to invest one billion euros in these sites over the next five years.
Major Corporation Plans Cutbacks: Over a Thousand Munich Jobs at Risk
MAN’s plans have faced sharp criticism from the IG Metall union and the works council, as they involve shifting some production capacities to Poland. This could “in the long term jeopardize the existence of the main Munich plant,” warned Sibylle Wankel of IG Metall. She fears that key components for truck production will be moved to Poland. “If in the future all truck parts are manufactured in Poland and only transported from there for assembly in Munich, it is obvious that at some point, assembly in Munich will also be called into question.”
Karina Schnur, Chair of the General Works Council, also accused MAN of being unwilling to engage in serious negotiations about alternatives. “I am appalled by the company’s behavior. Management was not prepared at any point to seriously discuss alternatives to the production shift plans. This is a slap in the face to the people who, here in Munich, give their all for their company MAN every day.”
Source: dpa
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