MAN Roland promises unions not to spin off sheetfed

In return for implementing the measures the company has agreed not to lay off any operational staff up to the end of 2006. Together with ongoing structural changes the new cost-saving measures will allow the Offenbach plant, which has been in the red, to return to positive revenue operations.

The agreement came after protracted negotiations with the union and the mediation of the mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke.

The agreement includes flexible work time provisions that ensure higher capacity utilization, as well as more effective ways to react to downturns in work activity. Under the scheme performed work is accrued in work time accounts that can be compensated for later.

The company has agreed not to lay off operational staff up to the end of 2006, and has also agreed not to spin off the sheetfed press sector. The spin-off was mooted in an 'off-the-cuff' statement by retiring MAN Group executive board chairman, Dr. Rudolf Rupprecht, at this year’s annual general meeting. The company later maintained that the chairman was quoted out of context.