Airbus has announced that as a result of successful negotiations with IG Metall union and works council, which represents workers in Germany, no redundancies will be enforced in Germany before year-end 2023. As Airbus aims to implement a restructuring program which will affect 15,000 positions in its workforce, it will be looking to early retirements, voluntary redundancy policies, and internal transfers to provide the solution to a situation created by a drop in demand for aircraft during the COVID-19 crisis.
Airbus employs approximately 55,000 workers in Germany and 1,300 employees have taken voluntary redundancy, while 1,000 employees at its subsidiary, Premium Aerotec, which manufacture major plane components, took voluntary redundancy between November 2020 and February 2021, according to Holger Junge, head of the group works council.
“Production figures have stabilized,” Junge confirmed, “But we have not overcome the crisis.” He added that Airbus has agreed to avoid further job cuts through short-time work and reducing hours by up to 20% from 2022. Airbus is now in an awkward position as a consequence of extended lockdowns in Europe as, in January, it chose to adopt an optimistic outlook with ambitions for a partial recovery in aircraft production of up to 22% from 2022 onward.