The company Schunk Montageautomation GmbH in Huglfing is to be closed from the end of September.
Now the employees are taking a different path, which they were even encouraged to take by the parent company.
The Schunk production facility in Huglfing is to be closed
The end of September was given as the date
Now the employees have found a new, very strange way to fight for survival
Huglfing / Weilheim - In addition to the planned negotiations of the newly elected works council about a social plan, the 35 employees of the Huglfing company Schunk Montageautomation GmbH are now going another way: They are looking for a buyer for the company, which is to be closed at the end of September.
The employees were expressly encouraged to do so by the parent company Schunk GmbH & Co. KG.
The search for interested parties was initiated by Roland Knott, the head of Huglfinger quality assurance.
He reports directly to the managing director of the branch in the Auwiese industrial park, Bernd Schellenbauer, who is primarily an authorized signatory and chief financial officer of the family company in Lauffen am Neckar.
In a conversation that took place immediately after the layoffs in mid-February, Schellenbauer gave “the green light for us to take care of it,” says Knott.
The employees are on site, have contacts and networks in the region - unlike Schellenbauer, who is based in Baden-Württemberg.
Employees are looking for buyers: District Office Weilheim-Schongau helps
Quality-assured Knott also turned to District Administrator Andrea Jochner-Weiß with a request for support, who agreed to take care of it.
The result: A message from the economic development agency, which has now been sent to the media by the district office's press office, with the headline: “Economic development of the district supports the workforce and is looking for new entrepreneurs for the production facility in Huglfing”.
When asked, business development manager Simone Adelwart confirmed that the support consisted of sending the message and that the district office was of course not looking for a buyer itself.
The new chairman of the works council, Petra Barnsteiner, reacted indignantly when she heard of the declaration about the search for a buyer: "We are not allowed to do that, we are not the owners." to buy a production facility, but also a large number of highly qualified workers who may soon be on the verge of extinction, "she annoyed:" Now they are already selling us. "
Sale of the production facility in Huglfing: "Only establish contact between interested parties and headquarters"
The internal misunderstanding has now been cleared up: The conversation between Knott and Schellenberg had taken place before the works council election, so Petra Barnsteiner was not involved - and was not informed by Wednesday either.
"Of course we cannot sell ourselves," explains Knott, who assures quality: "We only establish contact between interested parties and the headquarters in Lauffen."
By the way, the company management has canceled a first appointment proposed by the works council for discussions about the social plan and reconciliation of interests.
A second appointment suggestion that was postponed after the rejection was accepted.
Chairwoman Barnsteiner says skeptically: "Now we just have to wait and see whether the conversation takes place this time."
Ralf Scharnitzky
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