FRANKFURT, Germany—German trade union IGBCE and local works councils have developed alternative concepts for Michelin's tire manufacturing plants that are set for closure by the end of next year.
The concepts conceive of the creation of competence centers and more specialized production at the three sites in order to improve Michelin's competitiveness, IGBCE said in a Feb. 15 update. The alternatives propose consolidation of plants and the reduction of the number of employees in order to reduce costs.
"With these alternative concepts, job cuts can be significantly reduced and the tire manufacturer's factories can be maintained," said Matthias Hille, IGBCE corporate manager.
The alternatives can "convincingly demonstrate" that the closures and job cuts "would not only be socially irresponsible, but also unacceptable for economic reasons," Hille added.
The French tire manufacturer announced in November last year that it would gradually stop production at three of its German locations by the end of 2025, affecting more than 1,500 employees.