Jobs of STIHL regular workforce secure up to 2015 - Agreement on job and location security extended

ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG and the general works council have reached a decision to continue and further develop the company-internal agreement on job and location security up to December 31, 2015. STIHL executive board chairman Dr. Bertram Kandziora: “In the middle of the global economic crisis we are demonstrating our confidence in the future of our company and giving our regular staff a job guarantee for the next six years.“ The chairman of the general works council, Luigi Colosi, adds: “It’s a good agreement. Both sides benefit – the workforce and the company.”

Commitment to product launches, regular workforce increased, apprentice training beyond own requirements
All efforts focus on the security of the regular staff. For example, STIHL promises to produce numerous follow-up products and also launch a new product in Germany.  The STIHL founding company, ANDREAS STIHL & Co. KG, undertakes to maintain the regular workforce at not less than 3,300 up to the end of 2015. This is an increase of 25 staff over the previous target size. No layoffs for operational reasons are allowed during this period. STIHL continues to train apprentices over and beyond its own requirements and will carry on its practice of offering at least 60 new training places per year. At least 75% of the apprentices and trainees who are interested and suitable will be offered permanent positions in Waiblingen in 2010. In the years thereafter everything will be done to take on the apprentices and trainees on a permanent basis, depending on their suitability and in-house requirements.

Competitiveness further strengthened
The company’s competitiveness must be further strengthened in order to safeguard jobs at the factories in Germany. This includes continuing and further developing measures to make working time more flexible and improve job organization. The working time corridor of the ‘Flexi account’ (-100 to +200 hours) may be extended to 200 minus hours if necessary. The company may utilize the possibility of scheduling a limited number of Saturdays per year without extra allowances in order to overcome capacity bottlenecks. The supplementary collective bargaining agreement on the enlarged quota of employees with a 40-hour week, chiefly in development, will be continued.

Company maintains voluntary social benefits
On July 13, 2009, the executive board and the general works council reached a decision to extend the agreement on job and location security, which was originally signed in 1997 and further developed in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2007. It provides regular staff with a job guarantee, and also keeps the regulations on the company’s voluntary social benefits in place.

(Voucher copy requested.)

Caption:

Left to right: Dr. Klaus Detlefsen (Executive Board Member), Dr. Bertram Kandziora (Chairman of the Executive Board), Luigi Colosi (Chairman of the General Works Council) and Claudia Klenk (Member of the General Works Council).

Photograph: STIHL (Reprint free of charge/voucher copy requested)