Meyer Werft agrees with IG Metall a plan for the 10% per cent reduction in staff



German shipbuilding company Meyer Werft has agreed with the IG Metall trade union and the company's board of directors a plan to ensure the long-term maintenance of the company's competitiveness that includes a reduction of 10% of staff. The agreement said that if market conditions were to improve significantly for example with new shipbuilding orders, the deal would be terminated at the end of 2021.

The organic reduction plan, which will take place on a voluntary basis, will initially involve up to 350 employees of Meyer Werft and 100 employees of EMS Maritime Services, the service company that operates primarily for the navalmechanical group of Papenburg. The agreement with the union provides that such a reduction in personnel will not be compensated for with the use of external performance.

The agreement also provides for a planned increase in the productivity of the shipyard also through the contribution of employees through an additional 100 hours per annum (25 hours for EMS employees) that can be made through extraordinary work or with the renunciation of benefits. In addition, the branch of EMS industrial services, whose employees will be transferred to other production areas or other companies in the group, will be closed.

Meyer Werft had announced plans to reduce costs and decrease staff at the end of last year. ( of the December 9 2020). The company had initially proposed cutting 600 jobs. (
"Even if the downsizing is very painful," said Meyer Werft CEO Bernard Meyer, the current agreement with the works council and with IG Metall an important step towards securing the company's safety. shipbuilding yard in Papenburg. The approved and socially acceptable plan, Meyer said, works only on the basis of further orders for the years 2024 and 2025. Orders from Japan for NYK, participation in the construction of a tanker ship and now a residential ship-made it clear-help compensate for the least use of production capacity, otherwise we would not have been able to reach the current result ". The CEO's reference is to the salesman of Japan's NYK Cruises for the construction of a small cruise ship planned for delivery in 2025, to the collaboration with the Neptun Werft shipyard that is part of the Meyer Werft Group at the construction of a tanker and the construction of a new residential ship for Ocean Residences that will be 290 meters long and will have over 130 apartments. "This also shows that we are continuing on the path of development in new business areas," said Bernard Meyer, who is also the first person to be in the business.