Job cuts at Zeiss Vision: Falling demand for ophthalmic lenses
The electronics and optics group Zeiss wants to reduce spectacle lens production at Zeiss Vision GmbH in Aalen (Germany). Fewer lenses are to be produced and therefore jobs will also be cut. This was announced by the Oberkochen-based company in a press release. The reason is the declining demand for spectacle lenses.
In some regional markets, the order volume is falling and customers are buying higher-quality glasses, but less frequently. It is not foreseeable in the medium and long term whether demand will increase again. Talks are planned with the works council in the coming months regarding job cuts and declining production. The company has not yet said how many jobs will be cut. The company is also silent on how much the production of spectacle lenses is to be reduced. There are currently 1,400 employees at Zeiss Vision in Aalen. According to the company, the talks will also focus on the future positioning of the Aalen site.
The Chairman of the Works Council in Aalen, Uwe Frey, speaks of a "slap in the face". The workforce had been informed about massive cuts and changes in the production area. The announcement came as a great surprise, as the future of the Aalen site had been under discussion with the management for months. There is currently talk that the number of 55,000 lenses produced per week could fall to 20,000. "If this were to happen, we would have to reckon with major job cuts," fears the works council. They now want to examine the company's plans first.
Heike Madan from IG Metall in Aalen assumes that there will be massive job cuts. She is also surprised by the announcement. The division had made a profit. The employees have also participated in all measures to increase efficiency in recent years. The union wants to fight to save the jobs and the site. IG Metall is inviting members to a general meeting on November 14.
