IG Metall criticizes final end for Bosch in Sebnitz

The IG Metall trade union sharply criticizes the final end for the Bosch Power Tools company in Sebnitz. "At no time did the management give the site a chance to achieve a turnaround and give its approximately 280 employees prospects for the future," said Uwe Garbe, First Authorized Representative of IG Metall Ostsachsen.

Garbe accused the company of using legal means to force the works council into a so-called conciliation committee procedure at an early stage "in order to wind up the site as quickly as possible and to pull the wool over our colleagues' eyes when it came to severance pay". "This is scandalous. This is no way to treat people," it said.

Production to be relocated abroad

In April, Bosch announced its intention to close two of its tool division plants, Sebnitz and Leinfelden-Echterdingen in Baden-Württemberg, by the end of 2026. Production is to be relocated to Hungary. The company justified this with a reorganization of global production structures. Competitive and price pressure had increased in the tools division, it said. "This decision is very difficult for us," Thomas Donato, divisional director, was quoted as saying at the time.

IG Metall: Colleagues in the east feel like second-class citizens

While the negotiations in Leinfelden are still a long way from the involvement of the arbitration board, according to IG Metall, this was forced upon the company in Sebnitz right at the start of possible negotiations. "An approach that once again makes our colleagues in eastern Germany feel like second-class citizens," said Axel Drescher, trade union secretary at IG Metall Ostsachsen.

Union warns of social responsibility of a corporation

In addition, IG Metall criticizes the fact that a corporation like Bosch is shirking its social responsibility for the people in the region by relocating abroad. "This is a serious blow for Sebnitz as a business location and especially for our colleagues and their families," said Garbe. Many employees do not yet know what the future holds for them. Many questions about the liquidation modalities are still unanswered.