The former employees of the insolvent MV Werften can breathe easy for a few weeks. But their future remains uncertain.
Schwerin/Wismar (dpa/mv) – The transfer company for the insolvent MV Werften Group will be extended by one month until the end of November. This was announced by the state government in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Wednesday in Schwerin. Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD) said at a rally of the IG Metall trade union in front of the state parliament in Schwerin that he expected a decision on the desired further construction of the cruise ship “Global One” in Wismar in the short term. “That’s why we agreed yesterday in the cabinet that we would extend the transfer company by a month.”
With the completion of the 75 percent complete ship, an employment bridge is to be created. The aim is for as many of the 900 employees in the transfer company as possible to be taken on by the new owner of the Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard. He wants to start building submarines in Wismar in 2024.
Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) emphasized with a view to “Global One”: “We must use this opportunity to finish building. Nobody can promise that, but we can promise that we will use the opportunities together.” In these times of crisis, you can only make the former MV shipyard locations attractive to investors if you can say with a clear conscience: “These are good locations, they are well positioned economically, they are well positioned in terms of infrastructure, but above all you have great things – good professionals you can rely on.”
Stefan Schad, the first authorized representative of IG Metall in Rostock, was pleased with the quick approval of the state government. However, he pointed out that the union is seeking an extension until the end of the year. The employee representative also hopes that up to 1,000 more industrial jobs will be created with the Belgian metalworker Smulders in Rostock. The country shares the hope of the union, but according to Meyer there is still a need for persuasion in Berlin.
As the Economics Minister explained, the Ministry of Defence, as the new owner of the former MV shipyard in Rostock, is examining whether the areas requested by Smulders are needed for the naval arsenal. However, according to the union, time is running out, and the company must know how to proceed in the next few weeks.
The economic policy spokesman for the left-wing faction, Henning Foerster, called the extension logical. “Months of hoping for a permanent position with a new employer on the one hand and skyrocketing energy costs on the other are causing great concern for the shipyard workers and their families. This is another reason why the state government’s decision to stop the insolvency administrator’s negotiations with an investor interested in the completion of Global One in Wismar is an opportunity to give, right.”
