Saab union officials are expressing frustration at what they claim is a complete lack of receiver manpower being targeted at helping blue-collar staff back into work following the manufacturer’s recent bankruptcy.
The IF Metall union, representing around 1,500 members, most of whom are still unemployed following Saab’s collapse, has voiced its anger at the difficulty in obtaining work records from the receivers in order to present to potential future employers.
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The receivers handling Saab’s bid to find new owners, have 55 lawyers on their books handling the case, but IF Metall claims it has no-one to process the work history of its blue-collar staff as opposed to their white-collar counterparts who often have better records such as university eduction.
“New employers want to see what kind of education they have – the receivers say they can’t give them that because they don’t have anyone employed that knows the system,” IF Metall legal adviser Darko Davidovic, told just-auto from near Stockholm.
“It is a very strange situation – people are looking for new jobs and the receivers say they can’t afford anyone to give out this [information]. Our members are often employed [at] Saab and educated through Saab.”
The situation has concerned IF Metall so much it has convened a telephone conference with the receivers this afternoon (9 February) as its members struggle to find work following Saab’s demise.
Efforts to find new jobs have also been impacted with the bankruptcy of another large firm in the Western Sweden town of Trollhattan, that is now experiencing more than 20% unemployment.
Union irritation at the impasse is compounded by what it says is the situation where around 200 IF Metall members are currently employed in Trollhattan, taking care of heating and water issues for example at the factory, but not a single person appears to be looking after employment records.
“If you can employ 200 people, you must employ one more so people can get new jobs,” said Davidovic. “I will demand this – if they will not do this I will take action.”
IF Metall’s conference with the receivers takes place against a backdrop of feverish bid activity, with several potential purchasers including Brightwell Holdings and Youngman, as well as Mahindra & Mahindra believed to lining up imminent proposals for Saab.
Receivers at Saab were not immediately available for comment.
