The locations of the subsidiary Evobus in Mannheim and Neu-Ulm are not generally up for discussion, a spokesman said on Wednesday. “We are the only bus manufacturer that produces in Germany. And it is our declared goal that this will remain so in the future.” Now the works council should look for socially acceptable solutions for the employees.
IG Metall Mannheim announced that around 1,000 employees would be affected. The location with a total of 8,500 employees is one of the largest employers in the city. In Neu-Ulm, around 500 more jobs are on the brink, the statement said.
Regardless of the corona pandemic, cost pressure is growing and competition is intensifying, argued Daimler Truck AG. The spokesman explained that the annual costs would have to be reduced by 100 million euros from the production network in Germany by 2030. Therefore, fewer vehicles should be produced here and the shell construction should be relocated from Mannheim to the Czech Republic. “We want to continue manufacturing buses in Germany and stand by our sites in Mannheim and Neu-Ulm,” he explained. They should remain “competence centers for city buses and coaches”.
“The body shop is the heart of Evobus in Mannheim. We will not allow it to be completely relocated abroad,” said the first authorized representative and managing director of IG Metall Mannheim, Thomas Hahl. “We’re not going to accept that without a fight, we’re going to get into a tough fight now.”
Industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer told the “Mannheimer Morgen” (Thursday) that the Mannheim site had the opportunity to make a name for itself with new drives. It is already a competence center for electromobility. So you have “a big pound in your hand, apart from the classic production”.
In Thursday’s pre-market trading on Tradegate, Daimler Truck shares temporarily fell by 1.34 percent to 25.02 euros.
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