Chocolate companies in the crisis – Läderach older employees dismissed without sozialpla nThe devout family business Läderach praises for their Christian ethics. This week, they found 27 to be part of long-term employees on the street. The oldest is 63 years of age.Peter Burkhardt11 Kommentare11Geschäftsführer John Läderach in one of his chocolate shops.Photo: Gaetan Bally (Keystone)

The well-known chocolate manufacturer Läderach has boycotted the beginning of the year, because the chief is fighting as an Evangelical Christian, against abortion and homophobic than a bad reputation.

Now provides Läderach again for agitation – this time under his own personnel. On Wednesday, the “valued employees received the bad news ends” via e-Mail, that there is degradation in the Swiss Central “as a result of the Corona effect” a set.

Several laid-off shortly before Retirement

you would be “forced”, to be idle, wrote Chairman of the Board, Jürg Läderach, and managing Director John Läderach. Affected 27 employees at the locations in Ennenda GL and Bilten SZ. They served the company during almost two decades – according to the company’s own Motto is “Chocolate Family”.

Among those released, a number of squad members, including a member of the group Executive Board, the Director of Supply Chain, head of sales development Switzerland/Germany and the financial Director, who was recently selected for “CFO of the Year” are. In addition, 22 other employees are affected from the departments of product development, production, Marketing, Finance and sales.

Several laid-off stand a few years before Retirement. The oldest is 63 years of age, another 62-year-old, a third, 59-year-old. You have low chances to find a new job – especially now in the beginning of the economic crisis.

employees significantly lower wages to

bumping the employees, especially the sour cream: For those Concerned, there is no social plan which alleviates the financial consequences of the dismissals. So, no benefits and no possibility for early retirement.

A social plan is mandatory if a larger employer terminates 30 employees. A member of staff suspects that Läderach bypasses this obligation by lowering the number of the Dismissed deliberately under the threshold of 30. John Läderach denies this.

But a Minimum of three employees in new work received, according to the employees, also on Wednesday, the contracts issued. The new jobs were considerably below the level and the Employment level of the previous Position. In addition, the newly adjusted wages were set so low that a continuation of the employment relationship for the employee relationship ends is hardly possible. Probably going to expect a voluntary dismissal “” the suspicion.

“, A social plan is not in there”

As Mr. Läderach, is to arrange all of this with your Christian ethics? John Läderach does not answer: “A social plan is in there.” In the case of a decline in revenue of a few percent, he would have financed such. But Läderach suffer because of the Corona-crisis in Switzerland under a revenue decline of more than 50 per cent, in Germany, there were between 20 and 30 percent.

Läderach acknowledges, however, that the company had enough is the capital and the liquidity situation “absolutely sufficient”. This raises the question of why it rushes with the redundancies so.

“As a Christian and as a human being, a bleeding heart, in such a separation.”

John Läderach, managing Director

An Insider suspected of the family, the use of Corona-crisis as a pretext for dismissals. Because in the Letter to the employees, it is also the “streamlining of the corporate structure”. The layoffs would be made “in the sense of strengthening the company’s independent sales and marketing organizations in our various markets”.

John Läderach confirmed that due to the Expansion of the company in other countries are longer, the plan was to give certain Central functions such as Marketing and sales in the responsibility of the national companies. But he said that he believed the Bodies in the Central, thanks to the growing business to maintain. “Now the slump in sales due to Corona are so large that we need to make to secure a good 1000 employees in the job cuts. As a Christian and as a human being, a bleeding heart, in such a separation.”

The Insider, however, says: “Christian-ethical stop, when it comes to money.”

Jürg Läderach, Chairman of the Board of Läderach.Photo: PD comment please Login to comment