German steel groups Krupp and Thyssen said on Wednesday that there would be no forced lay-offs following the planned merger of their steel businesses.
Thyssen AG chairman Ekkehard Schulz said 8,000 jobs would be cut.
"It is certain that workforce reductions will be carried out with social compensation," said Krupp Hoesch Stahl chairman Hans-Wilhelm Grasshoff in a statement.
"Forced lay-offs are ruled out as a part of this steel plan."Krupp Schulz also said he did not plan any forced terminations of steel workers.
But he added that the merger with Krupp's steel company would mean that planned job reductions from areas where the two firms already co-operate would double to 8,000.
These job cuts would be carried out through social compensation plans such as early retirement and by taking advantage of natural fluctuation rather than forced redundancies.
"In the past we have always achieved workforce reductions with socially-acceptable methods. And that is the way we want to keep it in the future," Schulz told a gathering of more than 5,000 Thyssen Stahl workers.
The job cuts would be carried out over a period of four years and would not affect Thyssen's main steelworks at Duisburg.
Thyssen will take a 60 per cent stake and industrial control of the new merged company.
Schulz also said he did not plan any forced terminations of steel workers.
But he added that the merger with Krupp's steel company would mean that planned job reductions from areas where the two companies already co-operate would double to 8,000.
These job cuts would be carried out through social compensation plans such as early retirement and by taking advantage of natural fluctuation rather than forced redundancies.
"In the past we have always achieved workforce reductions with socially-acceptable methods. And that is the way we want to keep it in the future," Schulz told a gathering of more than 5,000 Thyssen Stahl workers.
The job cuts would be carried out over a period of four years and would not affect Thyssen's main steelworks at Duisburg.
Thyssen will take a 60 percent stake and industrial control of the new merged company.
