SRAM Schweinfurt: No Production Shift to East Europe

SCHWEINFURT, Germany (February 6) - After the announcement that SRAM would lay off 160 employees in its Schweinfurt production plant and move part of the operations to an East European low wages country, the local authorities who had helped SRAM exactly five years ago to renew the former F&S bicycle component manufacture, blew their biggest horn to move SRAM to other thoughts. Negotiations between the local SRAM management, the Unions and the works council were followed in detail by the media (among those: the Bike Europe website). The actual stage of negotiations is that SRAM won't move production units to other countries, and a total of 60 (instead of the initial 160) employees will be laid off. Schweinfurts' mayor says she has read this notification, and a SRAM spokesman says that parties are working on a "employee work security contract" that will give more job security on the one hand, and more work flexibility for SRAM on the other. Negotiations, he adds, "have been held in a polite and constructive manner." (OB)