AT&S confirms rumours about staff reductions

Hannes Androsch, chairman of the board at AT&S, has now confirmed rumours about possible job cuts at AT&S, reports the ORF. Mr Androsch has named 'structural adjustments' for the facility in Leoben-Hinterberg. These possible job cuts were already mentioned in the recently published fiscal report. We must act now, to prevent worse, is Mr. Androsch cited in this report. Moreover, the company needs to open up new business sectors. A social plan for the affected employees is inevitable. He names the automotive crisis as a major reason for the reduction. Rumours state that approximately 350 employees are affected (of which 200 are permanent staff), but official figures do not exist yet. These are said to be availabe after the company has completed customer negotiations. These are needed to determine the capacity requirements for 2009, which in turn will affect staff numbers.