20 February, 2012A study commissioned by Caterpillar European management has raised concerns among workers and unions that two production zones could be moved possibly to Poland.
BELGIUM: Workers at the Caterpillar plant in Gosselies, Belgium, went on strike on Friday 17, February for 24 hours to protest against the threat of relocation of a production line manufacturing a specific part that equips the arms of excavators built in Gosselies. A sheet cutting workshop could also be threatened. IMF affiliates represented in the plant refer to a study commissioned by management envisaging such a scenario. Some 80 directly employed workers on the site would be affected by a shift of production possibly to Poland.
Management argues that no decision has been made at this stage but unions believe that the competitiveness study, the results of which are not known officially yet, could lead management to implement the relocation project. They warned the company, saying that they opposed such a project and that if part of production had to be moved to another location, they demanded that the number of jobs be maintained on the site.
The Caterpillar Gosselies plant employs some 4,300 workers and is one the most important facilities of the Group worldwide.