Ueckermünde Foundry Workers Reject €3 Million Severance Package as Plant Closure Looms
Published on 11/05/2026 at 22:02 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Workers at the Ueckermünde iron foundry in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district have turned down a first draft of a social plan — the severance and redundancy framework that would accompany the plant's closure — at a works meeting, sharpening a dispute over payouts that now pits a demand for at least €18 million against an offer of €3 million.
A sixfold gap between the two sides
The site's operator, the Breyden Group, had held out payments and severance totalling €3 million for just under 290 employees. In return, the company asked staff to waive their right to file unfair-dismissal suits.
Employee representatives have balked at the terms. According to works council chairman Clemens Schröder, even staff with more than 30 years at the plant would receive only a few thousand euros under the draft on the table. The works council is instead calling for a total of at least €18 million — six times the current offer.
No dismissals yet, but the clock is running
The closure of the long-established works is scheduled for the end of the year. According to the company, no redundancies have been issued so far. Management at the EisengieĂźerei UeckermĂĽnde said talks were ongoing but declined to give further details publicly.
Political mediation has yet to break the deadlock. Federal aid offered by Bundestag member Philipp Amthor did not resolve the conflict. A further crisis meeting is scheduled for this Friday to discuss how to proceed and possible ways out.
Labour disputes elsewhere
Battles over workforce interests and workplace agreements are also playing out at other companies. At Martinrea Honsel in Meschede, IG Metall agreed to negotiations on a social plan and related collective-bargaining changes in the face of 340 threatened job cuts.
At vehicle maker Westfalen-Mobil, management and the works council agreed before the Bielefeld Labour Court to set up a conciliation committee.
That case centres on a dispute over bonus payments for production staff that have not been paid since July, after a works agreement covering the period up to the end of June had applied when certain time windows were met. Around 90 employee lawsuits in connection with the matter are continuing and have so far not been heard before the labour court.
Legal proceedings also occupied the Berlin Labour Court at the end of October: in a dispute involving the Unionhilfswerk, the court rejected applications by the organisation, including an expedited motion to exclude two works council members and a request to establish a conciliation committee on pay structures. The employer can appeal the Berlin rulings to the Berlin-Brandenburg Regional Labour Court.
