As part of the plans to relocate the company headquarters from Frankfurt to Offenbach, the Executive Board and Works Council of SAMSON AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT have finalized their negotiations on the reconciliation of interests. The collective agreement to guarantee employment in the future is a further milestone in the company's history. The agreement, which came into force rather appropriately on Labor Day (1 May 2024), protects jobs at SAMSON headquarters. The SAMSON Executive Board voluntarily extended the pledge to also include non-organized staff not governed by collective bargaining agreements. The agreement rules out any operations-related redundancies before 31 December 2028. It also clearly underlines the company's commitment to vocational training as well as staff training and development.
After more than one hundred years in Frankfurt, SAMSON is relocating its headquarters and largest production site from Frankfurt's east end to the Innovation Campus in Offenbach. The strategic decision to relocate was taken in 2021 to retain the company's competitive edge and secure the future of the business and its staff.
Dr. Dominic Deller (CFO and Executive Board member responsible for human resources at SAMSON AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT) explained: "Our common goal is to continue our success in Offenbach. We are confident that the collective agreement to secure jobs will also help attract top talent despite the current shortage of skilled workers that we are experiencing in Germany."
Ms. Diana Mancic, Chairwoman of the Works Council, and her two deputies, Mr. Paul Dielmann and Ms. Sabine Stillger, represented the employees' interests. Ms. Mancic commented: "We are satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations, which will protect jobs even after the scheduled completion of the relocation process at the end of 2026. Our main focus was on minimizing the negative consequences for the workforce. Everybody should be looking forward to the move."
The representatives of the metalworkers' trade union IG Metall, who participated in the negotiations, Mr. Christian Egner and Mr. Javier Pato Otero, were also satisfied: their key objective was to retain jobs in industry in the Rhine-Main region. Mr. Egner commented: "For us, the new site is an opportunity to create secure jobs that are fit for the future. Our main aim was to set the course for future operations at the new site in close cooperation with the workforce, works council and top management."
The agreement on the reconciliation of interests additionally covers changes relating to the relocation to Offenbach. In addition to a site scheme and details on actual relocation activities, it includes an offer to further train and qualify staff where the need arises. The reconciliation of interests terminates when the relocation has been completed. The rules governing employee training and development apply until the end of 2028.
About SAMSON:
SAMSON AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main since 1916, serves the global process engineering industry market with its products, systems and digital solutions to control all kinds of media. It is currently the largest industrial company in Frankfurt. Its focus markets include chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, energy and energy distribution as well as applications for hydrogen and industrial gases. SAMSON employs 2,000 people, including around 70 vocational trainees, in Frankfurt. Over 4,700 people work worldwide for the SAMSON Group. SAMSON manufactures at 17 sites in nine different countries and is represented across the world by a network of engineering and sales offices as well as service centers. The relocation to Offenbach is the largest investment and innovation venture ever undertaken in the 117-year-long history of the family-owned company.