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In the run-up to the Tyrolean crystal group Swarovski shareholders’ meeting on Friday, management and advisory council repeatedly reassured and compromised on the location of Wattens. However, employees held a vigil against the planned job cuts. Around 300 to 400 people have gathered in Wattens to protest.
Employees moved silently and in protective masks from the doorman at the Swarovski headquarters across Swarovski Street to the Marie Swarovski House, where the meeting was taking place. The signs read, for example, “Can’t play poker on the back of the workforce,” “Every workplace has a face,” “We are Swarovski,” or “Please say no to go.”
In front of the door of the Marie Swarovski House, some members of the Swarovski family spoke with the “protesters” and greeted them with the words “It’s great that you are here”. Daniel Swarovski told employees: “We want Wattens to be absolutely safe,” and Nadja Swarovski said, “We represent Wattens.” Regarding the credibility of these statements, opinions differed among the assembled employees. Around 9:00 am, the vigil was gradually discontinued.
In July, the crystal group announced that it would cut another 1,000 of the 4,600 jobs it currently has at Wattens in the fall. In the medium term, some 3,000 people would work at the headquarters. Because by 2022, the number of employees is expected to decrease by another 600 positions. However, this is not about relocation, but about a “painful but necessary” resizing and capacity adjustment that not only affects Wattens but takes place in all locations around the world, the management explained in a broadcast on Friday about job cuts.
Rumors about a possible step-by-step migration to Switzerland or even the closure of the location were again “clearly rejected” by the management. “The vehicle that the group will include in the future will also continue to be based in Tyrol,” he said. The revision plans of the legal structure of the company and the strategic realignment that has already begun must be fulfilled.
In recent days, members of the family dynasty had stepped in front of the curtain and were alarmed by the planned structural reform. They feared a de facto abandonment of Wattens as the company’s main location. “Of course there is a diversity of opinions with more than 80 shareholders, especially since there will also be cuts by shareholders. The vast majority, including the leadership, are behind the chosen path and fully support it. However, it is important for us to involve all members of the family and bring them with us, ”said CEO Robert Buchbauer. The shareholders’ meeting should last all day.
From: apa
