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ThyssenKrupp steelworkers seal job security deal ahead of Tata merger

Steelworkers at German industrial giant ThyssenKrupp have won guarantees that their jobs are secure until 2026, bringing the group a step closer to its planned merger with India's Tata Steel.

Published: 22 December 2017 11:16 CET

ThyssenKrupp steelworkers seal job security deal ahead of Tata merger

Thyssenkrupp employees at a plant in Duisburg. Photo: DPA.

ThyssenKrupp said late Thursday it had clinched a deal with Germany's powerful IG Metall union pledging there would be no job losses or major site closures until September 2026.

“The outcome achieved today represents a key prerequisite for meeting our strategic objectives and at the same time satisfying the interests of our employees,” ThyssenKrupp CEO Heinrich Hiesinger said in a statement.

The agreement, which still needs to be approved by union members, clears a major hurdle for the conglomerate as it seeks to combine its steel operations with Tata to create Europe's second biggest steelmaker after ArcelorMittal.

ThyssenKrupp and Tata say the tie-up is necessary to combat chronic overcapacity in an industry roiled by a flood of subsidized Chinese steel.

While the merger will allow for economies of scale and other savings, the firms have warned it will also lead to some 4,000 job cuts that will be shared roughly evenly between the two groups.

ThyssenKrupp, which makes products ranging from car parts to elevators to submarines, has said it is not planning any forced redundancies.

Turning to its German steel works, it said “the future of the majority” of the sites was assured for the next nine years under the deal.

But the group said it would only guarantee operations for the sites in Bochum, Eichen and Huettenheim in western Germany until 2021.

ThyssenKrupp also promised to invest “at least” €400 million ($470 million) a year in its German steel works and retain the voting rights of German workers' representatives on the new supervisory board.

The merged holding company, to go by the name Thyssenkrupp Tata Steel, will be headquartered in the Netherlands.

It will have combined annual sales of some €15 billion euros and employ 48,000 people across 34 sites.

The tie-up should be completed by the end of 2018, added the German group.

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions.

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds.

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local.

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with.

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