Siemens Polish operation not affected by job cuts
The Polish operations of the German engineering and electronics giant Siemens will not be affected by a new round of 7,000 job cuts in the companys distressed telecommunications units, said Karol Szyndzielorz, the spokesman of Siemens Poland.
The Munich-based conglomerate, which employs more than 460,000 workers in more than 190 countries, announced the job cuts last Monday as part of a cost-cutting program due to the reduced worldwide demand for telecom equipment. The new cuts bring the companys global job reductions to more than 15,000 this year.
Siemens said it would eliminate 5,000 jobs in its information and communications networks group (ICN) - the companys voice and data network unit - and 2,000 positions in its mobile communications division. About 3,000 new job cuts will take place at the companys facilities in Germany. Last May, Siemens announced initial job cuts of 5,500 and 2,600 positions, respectively, in the two divisions.
Siemens also said it would eliminate half of its 20 worldwide ICN manufacturing plants. Polands ICN group would not be affected, Szyndzielorz said.
On Oct. 4, Siemens Poland merged with its Polish ICN subsidiary ZWUT. No job losses resulted from the merger, although less than 100 employees have changed jobs within the Siemens Poland group, Szyndzielorz said.
Unlike the general reduction in telecom-equipment spending in other countries, Szyndzielorz said that demand for Siemens mobile products in Poland has grown. Siemens Poland is the number two seller of mobile handsets in Poland behind Motorola Poland, selling about one million units during the past year, and is the main supplier of hardware for mobile network operators, he said.
In Poland, Siemens employs about 5,000 workers in 11 companies in diverse industries including trade, manufacturing, services and the power sector, where risk is well spread, Szyndzielorz said. Warsaw is the domestic companys hub and most important market in Poland.
