• EN - English
  • HR - hrvatski
Parliamentary question - E-000736/2016Parliamentary question
E-000736/2016

Redundancies at Alstom Croatia (General Electric)

Question for written answer E-000736-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Tonino Picula (S&D)

Within the next two years 229 workers employed by General Electric, whose Croatian headquarters are in Karlovac, could lose their jobs as a result of the projected reorganisation within this global player in the power industry. A significant proportion of the redundancies (134) will affect highly educated personnel working as engineers or in research and development. Alstom is the biggest employer in Karlovac County and most of its employees come from the local university.

After the Commission had given its approval on 8 September 2015, Alstom’s energy operations, and hence Alstom Croatia, were sold on 2 November 2015 to the American multinational General Electric on condition that the greater part of the Alstom gas turbine portfolio be sold to an Italian company, Ansaldo, the object being to maintain competitiveness in Europe. The Karlovac engineers have been harmed by the Commission decision, as they were not included on an equal footing in the restructuring plans and the sale to Ansaldo.

Some of the Swiss engineers involved in gas turbine development have transferred to Ansaldo and continued working on the same site, whereas the Croatian engineers have not been offered that possibility in spite of winning numerous international innovation awards as well as a ‘Zlatna kuna’, a prize awarded by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

Having approved the sale, is the Commission considering ways of protecting the jobs of the Alstom workforce should the redundancies go ahead as announced?