Wetzlar (dpa/lhe) – According to union information, around 500 employees of Buderus Edelstahl in Wetzlar protested against planned job cuts on Saturday with a rally and demonstration. According to IG Metall, the company, which belongs to the Austrian steel and technology group Voestalpine, wants to cut around 180 full-time jobs. The union explained that the measures were justified by rising energy costs and falling competitiveness. The plan is to buy steel from Asia, so jobs should fall victim.
In addition to preserving jobs, the trade union calls for investments in securing the future of the Wetzlar site and qualification of the employees. “While almost all companies are desperately looking for skilled workers, Buderus wants to put the skilled workers on the street,” criticized district manager Jörg Köhlinger. “Obviously, management still hasn’t recognized the signs of the times. The transformation cannot be managed like this. We will vigorously defend ourselves against the job cuts.”
Voestalpine referred to a “significant increase in all cost factors” at Buderus Edelstahl. As a result, the products are no longer competitive on the international market. In addition, there is lower demand in some customer areas. In addition to savings measures, it is necessary “to reduce the number of employees at the site by at least 15 percent with a significant increase in productivity”.
Buderus Edelstahl, which has around 1,260 employees, says it produces around 300,000 tons of crude steel a year. The annual turnover amounts to around 350 million euros. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality stainless steel.
