Siemens quickly implements aid offer to BenQ-Mobile employees

35 million euros immediately available
 
Munich - at the roundtable talks organized by the bankruptcy administrator of BenQ Mobile GmbH & Co. OHG, Siemens finalized its aid offer to BenQ Mobile employees. Concrete plans call for earmarking €25 million of the €35-million aid fund for employee training, continuing education and placement measures. The remaining €10 million will be used to help employees in cases of special needs. A committee, independent of both Siemens and BenQ Mobile and composed primarily of employee representatives, will make decisions regarding how the funds will be distributed in cases of need. Siemens declared its solidarity with BenQ Mobile employees regardless of the legal status of the company. The aid measures will now be thoroughly implemented, making sure that the funds are used exclusively to help the affected employees.

For additional steps, Siemens is depending on decisions made by the bankruptcy administrator, who is responsible for handling the coming tasks. Siemens welcomes the roundtable that he initiated and assumes that all participants will contribute expertise as well as suggestions for material solutions. In this context, the administrator will, for example, work with the BenQ Mobile works council to set up a job placement company that will primarily focus on training, continuing education and helping place employees in new positions. Siemens has earmarked €25 million of the total €35-million aid fund for this purpose. The remaining €10 million is to be used to help employees who have encountered problems. An independent committee, composed largely of employee representatives, will decide on how these funds are to be used.

In addition to this financial commitment, Siemens intends to help the BenQ Mobile employees with a newly established central coordination office. Applicant resumés of the job-seeking BenQ employees and job descriptions of the 2,000 currently open positions in Germany will be compiled and speedily processed in this office. Contrary to reports that have circulated, these positions are full-time jobs.

Implementation of these measures was coordinated with bankruptcy administrator Martin Prager. Job-seeking employees must first register their interest in an open position at Siemens with the Munich personnel department of BenQ Mobile GmbH & Co. OHG. This department will then pass on the inquiry for further processing at Siemens. In this manner, the contractual ban on recruiting employees from another company will not be violated.