Husky Technologies joins the list of industry business planning layoffs in Luxembourg.
At the Husky site in Dudelange, 155 jobs out of a total of 1,000 are at stake, as the injection moulding system manufacturer plans to withdraw one of its services in Luxembourg.
Paul de Araujo of the LCGB union explained the company had transferred its special lock manufacturing from Austria to the Czech Republic and Luxembourg in 2019 in order to develop it, but growth had not followed the planned trajectory. As a result, Husky now plans to shut down this particular specialist manufacturing department in Luxembourg.
The union said they had not received further explanation or figures pertaining to the decision. Staff representatives and the unions were informed of the job cuts just an hour before the staff - an "unacceptable" practice, according to the OGBL's Patrick Freichel. Freichel criticised the management, saying the future of 155 families was at stake and the management had not taken responsibility correctly.
On Wednesday, Husky management requested negotiations for a social plan, Freichel added. Both unions say this is out of the question as the management could no longer be considered a legitimate interlocutor. As a result of the breakdown in trust, the OGBL has called for a discussion with labour minister Georges Engel.
In an interview with RTL earlier on Thursday, Engel joined Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot to discuss the impending layoffs at Husky and Dupont Teijin - both of which are a source for concern for the government.
The ministers pointed to tools such as job retention schemes and partial unemployment as a way of supporting the employees concerned by the job cuts.
Both trade unions expressed concern over two bouts of bad news within a short time for Luxembourg's industrial sector. Freichel said he hoped the sector would cope despite the news, as American businesses were still acting purely based on profit.
