Bosch says there is “nothing set in stone” concerning the future of its diesel injector plant in Southern France as unions continue to express fears surrounding potential job cuts.
Nearly 1,600 staff are employed at the Rodez factory near France, but the diesel sector’s much-documented travails during the past two years have seen vehicle ownership in the country using the fuel, slump from 73% in 2012 to 48% at the end of last year.
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The diesel share of newly registered passenger cars decreased from 53% in 2016 to 48% in 2017, resulting in a significant drop in manufacturing volume at the Rodez factory, particularly for injectors and leading to a staffing impact.
Diesel’s woes are clearly not confined to France, but the country has 12,000 jobs directly dependent on the sector according to French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, who has taken a personal interest in the Rodez factory, having already met unions in Paris.
A grouping of French labour bodies, known as an ‘Intersyndicale’ and encompassing the CGT Bosch Rodez, Bosch CFDT, CFE-CGC and Sud-Metal unions, has expressed views there could be up to 450 jobs threatened at the diesel injector plant, but no confirmation has come from the German supplier to that effect.
The grouping says Bosch diesel systems president, Uwe Gackstatter travelled to Rodez near Toulouse last Friday (26 January) and mooted an investment at the site of EUR14m (US$17.4m), with the body maintaining this would be financed by unions, the region and the French State.
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By GlobalDataNo firm figures have been given by Bosch, but the French Finance Minister said he welcomed the supplier’s willingness to invest in the site, insisting he “understood union worries,’ while at same time asking for a ‘diversification’ of business at the French plant.
“There is nothing concrete set in stone,” a Bosch spokeswoman told just-auto. “We are discussing ways to deal with the fall in demand – that is why management was there [Rodez] last week.
“We believe in honest and open processes. Until we have come to agreements with representatives and unions, there is nothing we can confirm or deny. We always try to minimise any job losses – we do care about our associates [staff].
“We take it very seriously and want to do the best by our associates.”
A statement on the CFDT Bosch website on behalf of the Intersyndicale says Gackstatter “confirms the first concerns” and raises the figure of between 350 and 450 “problematic” jobs.
“Monsieur Gackstatter wants the investment to be financed solely by us, the Rodez staff, by a strong reduction in working time,” adds the Intersyndicale.
“Management requires commitments from employees and their representatives, while it disengages itself completely from its responsibilities for the future of the site and its staff.”
Bosch has said unions at the diesel injector factory will “have to contribute” to a transition deal to address rapidly falling demand for the fuel and it had “started looking into a broad range of possible measures on how to deal with the difficult situation,” since the beginning of 2017.
“The aim is to identify complementary activities inside and outside the company,” added the supplier. “Initial contacts in different sectors are currently being explored. In parallel, the company and the employee representatives have sought to raise awareness among all stakeholders at local, regional and national level.
“In the shorter term, to react to the steep drop in orders, Bosch seeks to negotiate a transition agreement with the employee representatives, to which each party will have to contribute.”
