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According to the works council, at least 4,000 people protested in Steyr on Thursday against the threat of closure of the MAN plant. Loudly and with the support of numerous supporters, the employees staged a warning strike and a “public works meeting” in the town square to defend themselves against the possible loss of 2,300 jobs. “Steyr didn’t deserve that,” the signs could read.
At 12 noon, the staff marched from the factory premises towards the town square, where they moved half an hour later and were greeted with applause by colleagues from voestalpine and BMW, among others. The protest march apparently did not want to end, loud horns and horns acoustically supported the protesters. “Owners are driven only by greed, that’s why we are fighting here today,” read a banner from the PRO-GE union.
25 mayors in the region had shown solidarity, MAN’s workforce was not leading the fight alone, Mayor Gerald Hackl (SPÖ) said at first. Dictatorial distancing has never existed at MAN, the workforce did not deserve it, the city chief literally said. GPA-djp President Barbara Teiber, PRO-GE President Rainer Wimmer, SPÖ Federal Party President Pamela Rendi-Wagner, Economic Councilor Markus Achleitner (ÖVP) and SPÖ Regional Director and Social Councilor Birgit Gerstorfer, will attend the rally.
In September, MAN Group management canceled Steyr’s job and location guarantee with its 2,300 employees. It is threatened with closure by the end of 2023. The works council and the union want to sue against the termination of the contract, with unclear prospects of success.
