Rodenstock workforce continues to fight against job cuts

The IG Metall trade union and the works council of the optician company Rodenstock in Regen, Lower Bavaria, want to do everything in their power to prevent the planned loss of around 230 jobs and their relocation to cheaper foreign countries. This was the tenor of the general meeting to which IG Metall had invited on Wednesday evening in Regen (Germany).

IG Metall and the works council provided information on the next steps. Together with a consulting agency, a detailed list of questions had been drawn up in recent weeks, which had now been submitted to the Rodenstock management for answers. Among other things, the list includes questions about the profitability of the Rodenstock plant in Regen, which currently still employs around 500 people. And precise questions about the reasons for the relocation plans. The aim is to develop a counter-concept to the job cuts. They will not be negotiating redundancies or a social plan for a long time yet, but will try to prevent the redundancies, emphasized Robert Scherer, IG Metall representative in Passau.

They also want to achieve more politically. For this reason, there was a non-public video conference between the works council, trade union and the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger (FW). There had been some criticism of him in recent weeks. Aiwanger had issued a press release in September in which he regretted the restructuring and job relocations announced by Rodenstock, but at the same time stated: "We must accept these decisions. The job cuts must be limited to an unavoidable level and be carried out in a socially responsible manner". Aiwanger is calling for socially responsible solutions and subsequent employment for the 230 employees affected in other companies.

Aiwanger said at the video conference: "The increasing deindustrialization in Germany is costing more and more jobs. Low-cost competition with other countries around the world is in full swing. However, Rodenstock stands for high quality, not cheap. I hope that the company management will take this aspect into consideration once again and that new orders for quality from Bavaria will be found in order to secure as many jobs as possible. My interviewees were highly qualified and strategically-minded employees, and I would like to thank them for their commitment to their colleagues and the company. It is regrettable that employees and the company find themselves in such a situation."

In a meeting with the Minister of Economic Affairs, Rodenstock's management cited the underutilization of its production capacities, the difficult economic conditions in Germany with high wage and energy costs and the strong global competitive situation as the main reasons for the relocation to the Czech Republic and Thailand.

Actions are planned in Regen in the near future: For example, IG Metall had stickers and posters printed with the slogan: "We are the heart of Rodenstock. Production in Regen must be maintained", printed on a red heart symbol.

Rodenstock history goes back almost 150 years

The Rodenstock factory in Regen has been in existence for 126 years. The company's founding history goes back another 20 years. In 1880, Rodenstock registered a patent for the world's first spectacles with lenses and frame. In the early 1980s, Rodenstock produced the first varifocal lenses developed in Germany. The company promises market-leading lens technologies; Rodenstock uses the biometry of the entire eye to calculate the lens and incorporates this data into the calculation of the lenses. According to the company, this is unique in the industry.

Rodenstock employs around 5000 people worldwide and is represented by sales offices and distribution partners in more than 85 countries. Rodenstock maintains six central production centers to ensure a globally available product range.

At the beginning of September, the company announced that production was to be relocated from Regen to plants in Thailand and the Czech Republic. This was due to the difficult economic conditions in Germany with high wage and energy costs, strong global competition and the lack of utilization of production capacities. However, some of the employees are to remain at the Regen site - but only with a focus on engineering and customer service.