30-06-2004: Prolongation of working time at Siemens: CESI rejects a generalization

With regard to the particular case of the German enterprise Siemens the CESI has recently approved the agreement on the prolongation of the weekly working time from 35 to 40 hours, in order to safeguard workplaces and to prevent a relocation of the enterprise.
"The CESI however categorically rejects a generalization of these kinds of agreement, since this would mean a social step backwards", emphasizes the General Secretary of the CESI Helmut Müllers. "A prolongation of the working time itself does not give any guarantee, neither for the protection of the workplaces, nor for the preservation of the location." According to Mr. Müllers, examples of the past like Renault, Sabena or Marks&Spencer have proven this. "The only possible way is an agreement on the local level of an enterprise which is accompanied by appropriate guarantees", stresses the General Secretary.
In the opinion of the CESI the number of working hours is only one of many factors of competition which ought to be taken into account, e.g. education, research, the quality of public infrastructure as well as the tax system and the level of other contributions imposed on an enterprise. In these areas the employers and the public administrations have to make efforts, too.