Bombardier says the agreement means that the milestones of the transformation are now contractually fixed with the agreement valid until the end of 2020.

The job cuts will be made gradually until 2020, and while adjustments will impact all of Bombardier’s German plants, the majority of the positions affected will be at Görlitz and Hennigsdorf, as all of its German plants enter a specialisation process.

Bombardier says it will adopt a social plan and volunteer programme promptly, as stipulated in the general company agreement. The social plan will include compensation measures for employees affected by the specialisation of the German sites while the volunteer progamme enables staff to terminate their work with Bombardier on a voluntary basis and on appropriate terms.

With the agreement reached in Germany, Bombardier says it will proceed as planned with its global transformation programme as announced in October 2016. Under the plan the German sites will specialise in either the development or production of rail technology in the next two to three years. Innovation, digitalisation and the increased use of modern Industry 4.0 processes will be at the heart of the specialisation, according to the company.

The sites in Bautzen, Hennigsdorf, Kassel, Mannheim and Siegen will become “Centres of Competence,” while the Görlitz site will also undergo conceptual changes.

“We are very satisfied with this formalised agreement,” says Mr Michael Fohrer, managing director of Bombardier Transportation in Germany. “We now have a clear path to implement the measures that sustainably improve the competitiveness of Bombardier Transportation in Germany. The result provides planning security on all sides.”