Symrise Prolongs Site Agreement to 2016

In addition, Symrise will invest about €120 million in expanding and modernizing its German sites by 2016. It was also agreed to bring forward the next pay rise, which was originally scheduled for December 1, 2011, to August 1, 2011.

2/11/2011 --- On February 10, 2011, the executive board of Symrise AG as well as representatives of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union “Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie” (IG BCE) signed a new collective agreement. The contract does not only prolong the existing agreement of August 19, 2009, to 2016, but also contains a range of supplementary vocational training and staff qualification measures. The aim of the new agreement is to strengthen Symrise’s long term international competitiveness and to support the company’s growth.

With the collective agreement concluded on February 10, 2011, both sides gave their backing to expand the existing arrangements made in 2009: Symrise agreed to extend its job moratorium for its German sites by a further two years; it was originally set to expire in 2014. In addition, Symrise will invest about €120 million in expanding and modernizing its German sites by 2016. It was also agreed to bring forward the next pay rise, which was originally scheduled for December 1, 2011, to August 1, 2011.

Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, CEO of Symrise AG, said: “We held open and constructive talks with IG BCE and reached a result, which is satisfactory for both sides. Proven arrangements will be supplemented with innovative elements, especially in the field of staff qualification. This will not only provide us with economic planning certainty for the future, it will also set a solid foundation to consequently pursue our growth strategy.”

A central value added element of the company’s new collective agreement is a comprehensive packet of staff qualification and training measures. In the framework of the agreement, Symrise has set itself the goal to permanently increase the number of staff by five percent. “We are also going to invest more heavily in training up young college graduates and school leavers and aim to increase the number of apprenticeships by ten percent to 44 a year. Symrise will in particular promote staff vocational training in the chemical-technical pro-fessions”, adds HR director, Dr Inigo Natzel. The packet of measures aims at strengthening and expanding Symrise’s market position and innovation capabilities with regards to its international long-term competitiveness.

“Innovation is critical in our industry a well-trained, motivated, competent workforce is thus fundamental to our company’s success. With the vocational and further training measures, we are not only fulfilling our corporate responsibility, but also simultaneously ensuring that Symrise remains one of the world’s leading fragrance and flavor manufacturers”, Dr Bertram continues.

IG BCE also expressed its satisfaction with the results of the negotiations: “An excellent outcome was reached with the 2016 extension to the site and job security moratorium and the rescheduled pay rise. With this, Symrise’s employees will also be able to benefit from the company’s strong development”, summa-rizes IG BCE district manager, Peter Winkelmann.