MAN-Werk-Steyr – Linz entrepreneur with plans for 1,850 jobs
In the struggle to maintain the MAN plant in Steyr, the consortium led by the Linz entrepreneur Karl Egger (KeKelit) sent the truck manufacturer its announced concept for takeover and further development of a “Green Mobility Center” on Thursday evening. Of the 2,300 employees, 1,950 are part of the core workforce, 1,850 could continue to work. The MAN group, based in Munich, is currently negotiating a sale exclusively with the investor Siegfried Wolf.
Last week another interested party got involved. Consortium spokesman Gerald Ganzger said that they are now ready for talks on the takeover of MAN Steyr. Together with his colleague Gabriel Lansky and the entrepreneur Gerald Gerstbauer, the lawyer forms the LGG Industriebeteiligung. She represents the interests of a consortium with national and international partners. It is said that the structure and composition are well advanced. LGG is negotiating both with the Czech TATRA and with automobile manufacturers from the Southeast Asian region. Ex-Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer is active in an advisory capacity. For the time being, nothing was known about the financing.
The MAN submitted concept that it is “more crisis-proof and diversified than the only Russia-dependent concept that is currently being negotiated,” alludes Ganzger to Wolf’s connections to the Russian automobile manufacturer GAZ Group and the oligarch Oleg Deripaska. US sanctions against Russia also speak for workers’ works council Erich Schwarz against the Wolf concept. He wants to address this again in today’s Friday supervisory board meeting. He considers the plan for a Green Mobility Center to be fundamentally more solid due to the broad base. In any case, it is a basis for him, on the basis of which the board “should start serious negotiations with the consortium”, he clarified.
10,000 green trucks in Steyr?
According to phase 1 of the concept, 10,000 trucks could be manufactured in Steyr in future in the “truck assembly large-scale series including eMobility and hydrogen drives”. Of the 1,330 employees currently employed in truck and cab assembly, 665 could potentially switch to truck assembly. The consortium is even anticipating 290 new jobs in the paint shop. In total, 1,850 jobs were retained in the continuation concept. Since the core workforce is currently only 100 more, this job cut is “easily feasible,” says Schwarz. In phase 2 until 2030, it is assumed that Steyr has a potential of 10,000 full-time jobs.
More details on Wolf’s plans were published on Friday in “Kurier” and “OÖN”. Wolf, who wants to buy 100 percent of the plant in Steyr with his company WSA and take over around 1,200 employees, is planning the production of four vehicle models under the Steyr brand, which are to be exported to 44 countries. The range extends from small electric buses and small trucks to delivery vans. Electromobility, hydrogen technology and autonomous driving are also central topics at the plant. The investor, who also holds ten percent of the Russian automotive company GAZ, intends to continue the plastic paint shop in Steyr and to deliver 10,000 to 12,000 driver’s cabs for trucks to Russia every year, according to the OÖN.
Compensation and part-time age model
Those employees who are taken on should forego up to 15 percent of their wages, but receive a continued employment bonus of 10,000 euros. According to “Kurier”, employees who leave the company receive compensation in the same amount. A social plan will be put in place for them. A part-time age model for long-serving employees is also to be rolled out.
MAN plans to close the plant in Steyr in 2023 as part of a group-wide savings program. Workers and politicians insist that the site is profitable and that there are site security contracts. These should actually have guaranteed the stock until 2030, but this was canceled by MAN. (apa)