-
Agreement reached between management and employee
representatives on job cuts and necessary adjustments to
personnel capacities
-
Planned savings on personnel costs based on agreement to
forgo collectively agreed payments and company contributions,
the company's option of drawing on additional working hours and
an innovative working-time concept
-
Cost reductions of EUR 80 million will be achieved according
to plan in financial year 2011/2012
The management and works council of Heidelberger
Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) have agreed on a package of measures
in a reconciliation of interests.
The package comprises an agreement to forgo collectively
agreed payments and company contributions, the company's option of
drawing on additional working hours and an innovative working-time
concept. One element of the agreement is that staff can voluntarily
reduce their contractual working hours to 57 percent of the
original level on a permanent basis, with a corresponding cut in
pay. The company will provide compensation for part of the lost
salary for a period of maximum four years. The working hours of
staff adopting this employment model will be based on company
needs.
This concept is intended to reduce the number of compulsory
redundancies still required. Taken as a whole, the package of
measures is expected to cut around 500 jobs worldwide at Heidelberg
until October 2010, around one third of these in the sales
organizations. As part of this package voluntary and socially
acceptable measures have already resulted in some staff leaving the
company or concluding agreements to terminate their contract of
employment.
As planned, the company is thus implementing its package of
cost-cutting measures, including saving of non-personnel cost. A
key element of this package is to cut costs by an initial EUR 60
million in financial year 2010/2011 and a total of EUR 80 million
in financial year 2011/2012. Together with the EUR 400 million of
savings already achieved in financial year 2009/2010, this will
result in total annual savings of EUR 480 million by financial year
2011/2012.
"Following constructive talks, management and employee
representatives have agreed on a Heidelberger Weg (Heidelberg Way)
- a strategy for adapting existing capacities to the order
situation while still keeping as many staff and thus as much
valuable know-how as possible at the company. We have also achieved
our savings targets," said Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier. "The
package of measures now agreed marks a new departure for everyone
involved in the negotiations and demonstrates a great sense of
responsibility on all sides," he added.
As of June 30, 2010, the Heidelberg Group had a workforce of
16,218 worldwide, thereof 10,942 in Germany.
For further Information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Investor Relations
Andreas Trösch
Telefon: +49 (0)6221- 92 6020
Fax: +49 (0)6221- 92 5189
E-Mail:
Andreas.Troesch@heidelberg.com
www.heidelberg.com
Important note:
This press release contains forward-looking statements based
on assumptions and estimations by the Management Board of
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft. Even though the
Management Board is of the opinion that those assumptions and
estimations are realistic, the actual future development and
results may deviate substantially from these forward-looking
statements due to various factors, such as changes in the
macro-economic situation, in the exchange rates, in the interest
rates and in the print media industry. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Aktiengesellschaft gives no warranty and does not assume liability
for any damages in case the future development and the projected
results do not correspond with the forward-looking statements
contained in this press release