Linde is planning to cut up to 400 jobs in its plant‑engineering division by the end of May. The affected sites are the Höllriegelskreuth plant near Pullach and the site in Dresden, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung (Tuesday edition). The reduction would amount to almost one‑quarter of the workforce in plant engineering at those locations.
Negotiations with employees and the works council are already intense, the newspaper reports. Linde says plant engineering faces “an intense and growing international cost and technology competition”. To stay competitive it must continually adapt the organization and resources of the division.
In a letter to staff, Linde outlined three options that employees can choose from in the coming weeks. By the end of March, they may agree to a settlement contract; by the end of April, they could be transferred to a transfer company; or-if feasible-agree to a partial retirement arrangement by March’s end. Employees who do not respond by the specified deadlines will likely face business‑related dismissals.
While Linde-the world’s largest industrial gas supplier-has been profitable since its merger with U.S. competitor Praxair, plant engineering is a relatively small part of its overall revenue and profit.
