More than 200 employees of the Osnabrück-based paper manufacturer Felix Schoeller have joined forces with the company management to emphasize their demand for a temporary cap on the bridge electricity price for the energy-intensive industry. Under the slogan "Save locations and jobs - bridge electricity price now!", they gathered for a protest action on the factory premises.
"Our industry is at a crossroads. The house is on fire and we urgently need the Brückenstrompreis as extinguishing water. So that the existing good substance is preserved and we can tackle the ecological transformation with full force. We want to present a completely renovated building in the future, not a ruin," says Uwe Klapper, Chairman of the Works Council at Felix Schoeller's Osnabrück site.
"The transformation towards climate neutrality is one of the most demanding challenges in our company's history. We want to build a sustainable future for our company and employees here in Germany. First and foremost, however, we need a clear commitment from politicians to the basic materials industry in Germany. We need planning security and a common framework for how we shape the transformation. The bridge electricity price is the first step and must come now," says Matthias Breimhorst, CSO of Felix Schoeller.
Energy-intensive industries, including Felix Schoeller, have been suffering from excessive electricity prices for years. The situation has become even worse with the war in Ukraine. Companies are paying many times more for their electricity in Germany than in France, the USA or China, for example. The IGBCE is calling for a price cap for electricity, the largest cost item for energy-intensive companies, to be in place until 2030. It has joined forces with the DGB, IG Metall and various industry associations, including the employers' association Die Papierindustrie, in the "Alliance pro Brückenstrompreis" and supports the initiative of the federal states, which are also unanimously in favor of a reduction in electricity prices.
Media contact: André Partmann Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH & Co. KG • Burg Gretesch 1 • 49086 Osnabrück Telefon: +49 541 3800 200 |