Overview
- About 120 employees demonstrated on February 17 at the Dietenhofen site in a protest organized by the IGBCE and the works council.
- The Horst-Brandstätter Group plans to end production at the 57-year-old plant at the end of June 2026, shifting manufacturing to other company sites and affecting roughly 350 positions.
- Union leaders say the rally marks the start of further actions intended to push management into talks on alternatives and future prospects for the workforce.
- Criticism has focused on company communication after CEO Bahri Kurter struck an optimistic tone at the late-January Nuremberg toy fair shortly before staff were told of the relocation.
- The company cites multi-year revenue declines of more than one third and has announced support measures, including a job exchange to aid employees' reorientation.