Thousands of Bosch employees nationwide protested against planned job cuts at the technology company. More than 10,000 people came to the company headquarters on the Gerlinger Schillerhöhe near Stuttgart alone, as the works council and IG Metall announced. There were further campaigns in Ansbach, Blaichach/Immenstadt, Bamberg, Eisenach, Hildesheim, Homburg, Nuremberg and Salzgitter – with around 15,000 more participants.
They all have a message, said the works council head of the supply division, Frank Sell, in Gerlingen. “The message is: Stop, it can’t go on like this. We won’t let ourselves be treated like that. Stop this insane workforce reduction.” You’re standing here because you want to talk about opportunities. However, central discussions have so far been rejected by management: “You have to let it sink in: such a huge company. And then we are told: The workforce reductions should be negotiated location by location. According to the motto: Divide and conquer.”
In recent months, Bosch’s plans to cut jobs worldwide have been announced several times. Bosch cited the main reason for this as maintaining competitiveness. There are currently more than 7,000 positions available across all business areas – including up to 3,200 in automotive supply. The latter largely affects German locations in the drive division as well as in the areas of control devices, vehicle electronics and software. The reduction should therefore be carried out in a socially acceptable manner – including through early retirement regulations and qualification programs for growth areas.