On the 26 November 2008 the employer’s association for South-Westfalia and the state executive for IG Metall in North Rhine-Westfalia ratified a company agreement for the site in Lüdenscheid. This will have far-reaching effects for Swissmetal in terms of the strategic further development of the Lüdenscheid site. The core focus of the agreement at hand is securing the positive and competitive development of the Lüdenscheid facility.

In order to achieve the planned development of the production of high quality pen tips, the dialogue partners agreed upon individual requirements regulations based on regulating employees’ working time accounts.  This agreement is set to further increase the site’s competitiveness.   In addition, it was also possible to conclude an agreement on the scheduled implementation of future tariff rises, providing all parties with a suitable layout framework.  The minimum term approved by the parties for the current tariff agreement assumes that it will run to the end of 2010.   In return, Swissmetal has assured the maintenance of the production site in Lüdenscheid until the 31.12.2014.

With this third company agreement, the contracting parties are effecting continuity of previous company agreements with which the former Busch-Jaeger-Metallwerk GmbH was so successfully supported.