Trelleborg to cut 102 jobs

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has announced it is laying off 102 employees, a sixth of its workforce, not long after the company ended its four-day weeks introduced in October.

In agreement with the General Workers' Union, the company is offering all of its employees a voluntary early retirement scheme, The Times has learned.

Union general secretary Tony Zarb said further discussions would be held with the company if the scheme is not taken up by 102 workers. The company said it is still experiencing a drop in orders due to the current global economic situation.

In October, at the onset of the economic crisis, Trelleborg was one of the first manufacturing plants to reduce the working week for all its employees. It subsequently laid off 25 workers, as the order books continued to dry up. The four-day-week system came to an end on January 1.

Trelleborg produces "O" rings for the car industry and employs around 600 people.

The news comes just a day after the Finance Minister said it was positive that companies were opting for a reduced working week rather than mass lay-offs, a move he interpreted as a sign that a recovery was possible later in the year.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com