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☆ Thousands of employees at tech giant SAP signed a petition saying they feel 'betrayed' by the company's 'radical' return-to-office U-turn
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Employees at the German software giant SAP are revolting against its return to office policies. Thousands of staff signed an internal letter that said they were "betrayed" by the firm's "radical" pivot. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementGerman software giant SAP recently announced a return to office mandate, which has been met with backlash by thousands of employees, Bloomberg reported Wednesday . Over 5,000 SAP employees have signed a letter posted internally — and viewed by Bloomberg — criticizing the company's RTO policies and have threatened to quit as a result.

Persons: —, Bloomberg — Organizations: SAP, SAP's, Service, Bloomberg, Works Council, Business

☆ Tech startup Jellysmack laid off staffers in the US and France last month. Read the memo its CEO sent to employees about the restructuring, which includes a focus on AI.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The creator economy startup Jellysmack laid off staffers in the US and France last month, Business Insider has learned. Jellysmack works with creators on distributing their content across platforms like Facebook and Snapchat to earn additional ad revenue, among other initiatives. We have to realign our resources around areas of the business where Jellysmack is seeing the most success. We encourage everyone to support impacted employees by reaching out to your networks to help our colleagues find their next opportunities. Jellysmack Technologies - Led by Robin (interim), this unit will continue to develop self-serve tech solutions that solve the pain points of creators.

Persons: Jellysmack, Snapchat, Michael Philippe, Philippe, Michael Philippe ,, What's, Sean, Axel, , Robin, Michael, Swann Organizations: Business, Facebook, BI, CSE, Works, Our, Jellysmack, Network Media Locations: France, French

☆ Volkswagen to reduce headcount at 'no longer competitive' VW brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Volkswagen logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 5, 2023. "With many of our pre-existing structures, processes and high costs, we are no longer competitive as the Volkswagen brand," Schaefer told a staff meeting at the carmaker's headquarters in Wolfsburg, according to a post on the company's intranet site and seen by Reuters. The company had previously said it planned to take advantage of the "demographic curve" to reduce its workforce, having pledged that it would not carry out dismissals until 2029. In Monday's meeting, human resources board member Gunnar Kilian said this would be achieved through agreements on partial or early retirement. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Reporting by Victoria Waldersee Writing by Matthias Williams Editing by Miranda Murray and David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Thomas Schaefer, Schaefer, Gunnar Kilian, Kilian, Victoria Waldersee, Matthias Williams, Miranda Murray, David Goodman Organizations: New York, REUTERS, BERLIN, VW, Volkswagen, Reuters, Victoria, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Wolfsburg

☆ Continental layoffs: German car parts maker plans thousands of job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Berlin — German car parts manufacturer Continental will cut thousands of jobs worldwide as part of a plan to save €400 million ($428 million) a year from 2025, it said Monday. The cuts, in the company’s Automotive division, which produces software, safety features and autonomous driving technology, will amount to the “mid-four-digit range,” Continental said. The group’s main businesses are making tires; the Automotive division; and a third division making digital technologies for autos and other sectors called ContiTech. The number of business areas within the Automotive division will be reduced from six to five. Last week the company reported that the Automotive business returned to profit in the third quarter and predicted a strong quarter ahead.

Persons: Nikolai Setzer Organizations: Continental, company’s Automotive, Automotive, Reuters Locations: Berlin, Germany

☆ Continental plans thousands of job cuts in auto division
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A car wheel with a badge showing the logo of German tyre company Continental, pictured before the company's annual news conference in Hanover, Germany, March 7, 2019. The exact number of job cuts was not immediately clear, but it will amount to the "mid-four-digit range", the company said. The news comes amid ongoing reports that Continental plans a restructuring and potential sell-offs, with CEO Nikolai Setzer saying in September he was considering a change in ownership of the company's ContiTech division. Continental will provide a full strategy update at its capital markets day on Dec. 4, the statement said. Last week the company reported that the automotive business returned to profit in the third quarter and predicted a strong quarter ahead.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Nikolai Setzer, Andrey Sychev, Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann, Miranda Murray, Susan Fenton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Continental, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Smart, Thomson Locations: Hanover, Germany

☆ Google contractors who helped train the Bard AI chatbot vote to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementGoogle contractors with Accenture, who write Google Help articles and review AI-generated content from the Bard chatbot, voted on Monday to unionize with the Alphabet Workers Union, which represents Google employees and contractors. The vote comes after a coalition of 118 Accenture workers announced their union in June. Google is currently appealing the NLRB's September ruling that it is joint employer of Accenture contractors. Accenture contractors worked on BardGoogle rushed its release of Bard in an effort to make a product to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Other Google contractors have unionizedMonday's vote marks the second time this year that contractors for Google successfully voted to unionize with the NLRB.

Persons: Cognizant, —, Bard chatbot, Monday's, Bard, Organizers, Jen Hill, Courtenay Mencini, Bard Google, OpenAI's, Hill, Laura Greene, Greene, OpenAI Organizations: Accenture, Service, Alphabet Workers Union, Google, National Labor Relations, Alphabet Workers, Bloomberg, Workers, . Workers, Meta Locations: Manila

[1/2] The logo of Deutsche Bank is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) employee representatives on Tuesday harshly criticized the bank's plans to slash its Postbank branch network, saying the move sends the wrong signal and comes at the wrong time. The reputation of the Postbank brand is severely damaged... and now the bank is starting a new construction project." Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsClaudio de Sanctis, the new Deutsche Bank board member overseeing the lender's retail operations, in a staff memo on Monday laid out his vision for Postbank becoming a "mobile-first" bank. Deutsche Bank said that talks with employee representatives would take place soon to determine final details on the cuts.

Persons: Yves Herman, Jan Duscheck, Susanne Bleidt, Claudio de Sanctis, Tom Sims, Rachel More, Emelia Organizations: Deutsche Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Deutsche, Verdi, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium

☆ Volkswagen plans job cuts, further launch delays at software unit -manager magazin
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Volkswagen logo is pictured at the 2022 New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) wants to cut 2,000 jobs at its troubled software unit Cariad as part of a restructuring plan which will see its long-awaited new software architectures delayed even further, news outlet manager magazin reported on Friday. There is no concrete information on where positions should be cut in terms of structure and tasks," a Volkswagen works council spokesperson said. A Cariad spokesperson declined to comment on the article, but said Cariad CEO Peter Bosch has been working on a "comprehensive transformation plan" for "repositioning" the company since the summer. Volkswagen appointed Bosch, formerly Bentley production chief, as head of the unit earlier this year in an effort to get Cariad back on track.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, magazin, Peter Bosch, Herbert Diess, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: New York, REUTERS, Rights, Audi, Porsche, VW, Volkswagen, Bosch, Bentley, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S

☆ UAW reaches tentative deal with General Dynamics, preventing strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Striking United Auto Workers (UAW) members from the General Motors Lansing Delta Plant picket in Delta Township, Michigan U.S. September 29, 2023. Earlier this month, over 1,000 UAW members in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania plants had voted to authorize a strike after a four-year agreement was set to expire on Oct. 22, 11.59 pm ET. UAW members at the company make military vehicles including tanks and light armored vehicles, according to the union. Details of the proposed agreement, which needs to be ratified by UAW workers, were not immediately available. General Dynamics has said it expects to negotiate the terms of 28 agreements with unions and works councils, covering about 12,600 employees this year.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, staving, Abrams, Abhinav Parmar, Priyamvada, Krishna Chandra Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, General Motors Lansing Delta Plant, Michigan U.S, REUTERS, General Dynamics, Dynamics, U.S ., Detroit Three, General Motors Co, Ford Motor, Thomson Locations: Delta Township, Michigan, Michigan , Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ukraine, U.S, China, Taiwan, Bengaluru

Volkswagen has said that cost-cutting plans would include focusing on fewer high-volume models as well as streamlining production of VW passenger cars, SEAT/CUPRA and Skoda. The Volkswagen brand has the company's highest sales volume by far, but margins traditionally lag behind luxury Audi and Porsche vehicles. A Volkswagen brand spokesperson confirmed that talks began with workers in early October and that it would not comment further on the timeline or content of discussions. Labour representatives, including the head of Volkswagen works council Daniela Cavallo, make up half of the company's supervisory board per German corporate governance law for large firms. A works council spokesperson confirmed a first meeting had taken place but declined to comment further on the timeline.

Persons: Matthias Rietschel, carmaker, Arno Antlitz, Brand, Thomas Schaefer, Daniela Cavallo, Cavallo, Victoria Waldersee, Christoph Steitz, Rod Nickel Organizations: Volkswagen Group, REUTERS, BERLIN, Volkswagen, VW, SEAT, Skoda, Porsche, Labour, Thomson Locations: Zwickau, Germany

☆ Meta updates RTO policy with stricter mandate, saying workers could lose their jobs if they don't show up 3 days a week
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Kali Hays | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Meta in June said it wanted workers to come into the office three days a week. Employees already approved for fully remote work do not have to comply with the three-day per week mandate. Managers at Meta will be responsible for following up with workers on a monthly basis, making sure they are complying with RTO. STATUS TOOL• Everyone - both office and remote workers - must keep the Status Tool updated with your work location, ideally 2 weeks in advance. Leaders can include global office locations and remote work (internal only) as part of their strategy.

Persons: Meta, Lori Goler, Goler, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Ferris, Zuckerberg, we're, •, isn't, you'll, Kali Hays, Hugh Langley Organizations: Facebook, Meta, RTO, Workers, Labor, Office, Org, Twitter Locations: that's, khays

☆ Creator startup Jellysmack has laid off staffers in the US and France. Here's the email its president sent to employees detailing the reasons behind the cuts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Creator economy startup Jellysmack laid off staffers in the US and France on Thursday. The creator economy startup Jellysmack on Thursday laid off staffers in the US and France as part of a larger company restructuring, Insider has confirmed. This news comes shortly after the creator economy startup began hiring for a new M&A leader to help integrate companies that it buys. Jellysmack has had several rounds of layoffs in the last year, and laid of staffers in France in February, as The Information reported. Jellysmack go-to-market 2.0Jellysmack's mission has been to help creators go bigger, by bringing them products, services, and infrastructure that helps them grow.

The letter did not disclose either how much Berlin had proposed in state help, or by how much this had been reduced. The conflict lays bare how much industrial heavyweights depend on aid to decarbonise their businesses as well as the need for governments to approve subsidies quickly to avoid companies from shifting investments or stopping them altogether. Thyssenkrupp in August made the investment decision for the so-called direct reduction iron (DRI) site at its steel base in Duisburg, provided substantial subsidy commitments by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin were fulfilled. Tekin Nasikkol, who heads the works council of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, told Reuters last week that Berlin needed to quickly approve hundreds of millions in subsidies for the site, adding workers' patience had run out. ($1 = 0.9084 euros)Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz and Christian Kraemer; Editing by Friederike HeineOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Credit Agricole and Worldline plan French payments business
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 19 (Reuters) - Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) and payment services company Worldline (WLN.PA) have begun exclusive talks to set up a joint venture to provide payment services to businesses and their customers, they said on Wednesday. The joint-venture, slated to be fully operational by 2025, would be majority owned by Worldline and fully consolidated in the payments company's accounts, they said. It will involve an investment of 80 million euros, shared equally between Worldline and Credit Agricole, they said. Credit Agricole has a target to increase sales stemming from payments by 20% by 2025. The French bank previously had a "strategic partnership" focused on payments with German group Wirecard, which filed for insolvency in 2020.

☆ VW to speed up electric shift in five-year plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) will speed up its shift to electric cars and revamp its software strategy in a five-year investment plan presented by management to the supervisory board on Friday, the automaker said in a statement. Bosses discussed how to rejig the German group's production network to accelerate the move to cleaner driving, the statement said, without elaborating. Full details of what was discussed will be presented at the company's annual media conference on March 14. A spokesperson for the works council denied the Handelsblatt report, saying jobs in Hannover were guaranteed under an agreement with the company until 2029. Reporting by Jan Schwartz; Writing by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ford works council in Germany to update staff on job cut talks on Feb 14
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The Ford Motor Co (F.N) works council in Cologne, Germany invited workers to a meeting on Feb 14 to update them on negotiations with management over planned job cuts at Ford's plants in Europe, a union representative said on Tuesday. Ford said in late January it would decide by mid-February how many jobs would be lost in the region after the works council at its Cologne plant, which supports the interests of employees, informed employees that up to 3,200 roles may be cut in the worst-case scenario. Productivity of Ford's engineers in Europe was 25-30% lower than it should be, Chief Financial Officer John Lawler added on the call. The works council in Cologne has demanded that management commit to no layoffs before Dec. 31, 2032, and that the roughly 2,500 product development staff there remain part of the automaker's global development landscape. Reporting by Christina Amann, Victoria Waldersee; additional reporting by Ben Klayman, Joe White; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The future of the Saarlouis site has been unclear since last June when Ford picked a site in Spain to assemble its next-generation electric vehicle (EV) over the German plant, which will stop producing its current model, the Ford Focus, from 2025. Separately, union representatives for Ford's largest German site in Cologne will meet with Ford's management on Saturday to negotiate on planned job cuts across Europe announced by management to workers on Monday. Management figures presented a worst-case scenario to 12,000 workers in a packed assembly hall of up to 2,500 job cuts in product development and a further 700 in administration. The carmaker has committed to an all-electric lineup in Europe by 2030 and its U.S. leadership has repeatedly flagged that EVs require less labour. Reporting by Victoria Waldersee and Christina Amann; Editing by Paul Carrel, Alexander Smith and Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The company wants to axe up to 2,500 jobs in product development and up to 700 in administrative roles, with German locations most affected, IG Metall said. Ford last year announced a $2 billion investment to expand production at its Cologne plant to make an all-electric model for the mass market. It also has a partnership with Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) to produce 1.2 million vehicles on the German carmaker's MEB electric platform over six years. That partnership remains in place, Ford and Volkswagen representatives said, though Ford's U.S. spokesperson added that Volkswagen's role in Ford's next generation of European electric vehicles was still to be determined. "We will not hold back from measures that could seriously impact the company, not just in Germany but Europe-wide."

At a separate meeting between management and workers representatives, Ford said it was planning a reduction of 65% in development jobs and around 20% in administrative jobs in Europe, a spokesperson for IG Metall said. We will not hold back from measures that could seriously impact the company not just in Germany but Europe-wide," IG Metall said. Ford of Europe produces, sells and services Ford brand vehicles in 50 markets, employing around 45,000 people at its own facilities and consolidated joint ventures, according to its website. The U.S. carmaker has committed to selling exclusively electric passenger cars in Europe by 2030, and is planning three new electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024. Writing by Rachel More and Victoria Waldersee; editing by Matthias Williams and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ford plans 3,200 job cuts in Europe as it moves some work to the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Berlin Reuters —Ford plans to cut 3,200 jobs across Europe and move some product development work to the United States, Germany’s IG Metall union said on Monday, vowing action that would disrupt the carmaker across the continent if the cuts go ahead. Ford (F) wants to axe 2,500 jobs in product development and a further 700 in administrative roles, with German locations most affected, IG Metall said. Ford of Europe produces, sells and services Ford brand vehicles in 50 markets, employing around 45,000 people at its own facilities and consolidated joint ventures, according to its website. “If negotiations between the works council and management in coming weeks do not ensure the future of workers, we will join the process. We will not hold back from measures that could seriously impact the company not just in Germany but Europe-wide,” IG Metall said.

☆ Mercedes to double electric motor output at Untertuerkheim - WiWo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) is to double production capacity for electric motors to 1 million units at its Untertuerkheim plant, which has traditionally focused on combustion engines, WirtschaftsWoche magazine reported on Tuesday. The German carmaker's management and works council struck an agreement on restructuring the site in southwestern Germany, which also foresees a 20% reduction in fixed costs by 2025 compared with 2019 and workforce cuts, the report said, citing company sources. Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Maria SheahanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EDF says strike hits a third of French nuclear plants, delaying maintenance work
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Electricite de France SA FollowPARIS, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Strike action over wage demands was hitting a third of EDF's 18 French nuclear plants as of Friday night, a spokesperson for the utility said, further delaying the maintenance of its reactors. "Six sites (were) affected by strikes as of last night," the spokesperson said on Saturday. This led to the postponement of the restart date of five reactors currently under maintenance by "one to several days", the spokesperson for EDF (EDF.PA) added. A representative for France's FNME trade union said on Friday that maintenance work at nine nuclear reactors split between five sites had been delayed due to a strike over wages. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The logo of the energy company Fortum headquarters a subsidiary of Uniper is pictured in Espoo, Finland July 22, 2022. Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva/via REUTERSRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterCompanies Fortum Oyj FollowUniper SE FollowBERLIN/DUESSELDORF, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Germany is set to buy Fortum's (FORTUM.HE) stake in Uniper (UN01.DE) and inject a further 8 billion euros ($8 billion) as part of a nationalisation of the gas importer, Uniper said on Tuesday. The capital injection, which would come via a capital increase subscribed only by Germany's government, would bring the total package of loans and equity used to stabilise Uniper so far to at least 29 billion euros. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFortum, which owns a 78% stake in Uniper, said that the deal will include the "return of the financing Fortum granted to Uniper" which the Finnish group has put at 8 billion euros. ($1 = 1.0019 euros)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Markus Wacket and Riham Alkousaa in Berlin, Tom Kaeckenhoff in Duesseldorf and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt, editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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