Plastics converter Senoplast Klepsch (Piesendorf / Austria; www.senoplast.com) has agreed with its workforce that 35-40 employees will be taken off the payroll each month on a rolling basis and reemployed the following month, since short-time working for 440 employees – see Plasteurope.com of 26.09.2008 – did not provide sufficient savings. The innovative move underlines the aim of the management to avoid layoffs. “Entitlements to all benefits such as vacation and severance pay will be upheld,“ says HR manager Ernst Eberharter, who added that the company has received enormous support from the workforce. The arrangement will be withdrawn after a year, providing the order situation improves sufficiently.

Senoplast introduced a recruitment freeze in 2007. This reduced its headcount by 32 due to natural wastage. The system of rolling contract suspensions that has now been introduced is equivalent to shedding a further 40-45 jobs. In support of the scheme, the management board members are foregoing 20% of their remuneration.

Eberharter expects 2009 to be a very difficult year and order intake is already down 20%. Automotive components, including related applications such as car roof boxes and wind deflectors for trucks, account for around a third of total sales. Senoplast’s products are also used in baths and shower bases, refrigerators, packaging for dairy products and furniture.