GERMANY: Threatened creche highlights cost of Airbus cuts as works council says decision to sell plants makes no sense

Despite agreeing to sponsor places at a new childcare facility in the small town of Laupheim just four weeks ago, the announcement by Airbus of its decision to sell industrial plants in Germany means the creche in Laupheim is now threatened with closure. With the announcement by Franco-German planemaker Airbus of its decision to sell off industrial plants in Germany, childcare facilities in Laupheim face an uncertain future. Airbus, one of the area's biggest employers -- have announced plans to shutter its factory, devastating the community of 18,000 people. "One month ago we opened this daycare centre so it's a brand new institution in the city of Laupheim. The reason was Airbus' request. Last year Airbus approached us, saying we should build a kindergarten so the Airbus employees' children are looked after." said the mayor of Laupheim, Monika Sitter, from the creche as toddlers played beside her. Around 1,200 employees in Laupheim stand to lose their jobs after Airbus announced that it would close down the plant, together with two others in Europe, in a bid to cut costs and stave off competition from U.S. rival Boeing. Workers at the factory in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, downed tools on Thursday (March 1) in protest at the move which is likely to hit the local economy hard. "We hope that the plant stays open and that we can keep on working here, that's what I hope for." said Gerdi Kerner an Airbus employee. "None of us knows what's happening. We're waiting for a talk with the boss and what the local management here is saying." said another Airbus worker, Harald Wiedemann. Wiedemann said the employees of the factory, which makes aircraft cabin interiors, were waiting for discussions with the management and were holding out hope for a solution. The likely outcome was that the factory, formerly a wholly-owned subsdiary called Aircabin which was brought into the Airbus fold in 2005, would be sold, Wiedemann said.

ITN Source | March 2, 2007

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