Union: Goodyear 'pulls plug' on German tire plant negotiations

Fulda, Germany – Negotiations between Goodyear and German union IGBCE over proposed job cuts at the tire maker's Fulda site have broken up without agreement.

Over recent months, Goodyear managers have been holding meetings with the works council and IGBCE over plans to cut 557 jobs and reduce production at Fulda.

However, IGBCE claimed that the US group had on 7 Sept pulled out of the talks after union negotiators had offered a counter-proposal to the planned cutbacks.

"Goodyear Germany's chief negotiator unilaterally declared the negotiations on a reconciliation of interests and a social plan for the Fulda site to have failed," it stated.

In June, the tire maker announced that it was looking to cut 550 jobs at Fulda under a plan to reduce production capacity at the German site.

The proposal would reduce the number of tire SKUs produced in Fulda by around 450, about 200 of which are to be transferred to Goodyear's other EMEA plants.

The move would involve a 50% workforce-reduction at the Fulda plant, impacting 375 employees and 175 contracted positions.

The Akron group maintains that the measures are necessary to 'decrease high-cost capacity and optimise use of other plants” in EMEA.

For its part, IGBCE has argued that the cutbacks would 'damage' the overall operation at Goodyear's Fulda site, and has vowed to 'fight for every job.'

Last week, Goodyear unveiled a separate restructuring plan to cut 1,200 jobs across its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.