2024-09-12 06:39:59
Despite an investor’s involvement, the glass manufacturer Weck wants to cut jobs. Only employees at one plant will be affected.
After the traditional glass manufacturer Weck was taken over by an investor last year following insolvency, it looked as if a large part of the workforce could be saved. Now, less than a year later, the company announced that it would have to lay off almost 10 percent of its workforce.
It is not yet clear exactly how many employees are to be laid off. In a discussion with SWR, the IGBCE union gave the figure of 45 employees, while the company itself spoke of 32 employees. Only employees at the Wehr site in Baden-Württemberg are affected. In total, the company, based in Bonn, employs 300 people, according to its own information.
Until now, the jars were packaged for shipping to the end consumer at the Wehr plant, but this was “neither efficient nor ecologically sensible, which is why we have decided to consolidate all shipping activities in Bonn,” the company said in a statement. According to information from SWR, however, the plant is to be retained.
The traditional Weck company has been around for more than 124 years. It was founded in 1900 in the small town of Wehr. The well-known preserving jars can be found in many cellars and pantries. With the strawberry logo, brand name and orange sealing ring, they have become a symbol for preserving food. The term “Einwecken” is even in the Duden dictionary.
Today, Weck does most of its business with glass packaging for the food industry – for example for pickles, mustard and jam. Because demand had fallen and energy prices had risen, Weck filed for bankruptcy last year. The company is now hoping to get back on its feet again thanks to the takeover by financial investor Aurelius.