The ailing toy and furniture manufacturer Haba is cutting around 500 jobs. As part of a realignment, employees will be offered the opportunity to be taken on by a transfer company. Mario Wilhelm, managing director of Haba Familygroup, announced this on Tuesday. The term of the transfer company should therefore be six months. In the future, around 1,000 people will be employed at the traditional company’s headquarters in Bad Rodach, Upper Franconia.
Haba filed for insolvency under self-administration in September. The procedure should be completed by the end of February, as the general representative Martin Mucha said. As a result, Haba hopes to receive numerous orders from municipalities again as soon as possible, which make up a large part of its sales. Municipalities are required not to enter into contracts with insolvent companies.
The IG Metall union was generally satisfied with the solution. The transfer company was fought for in the negotiations against Haba’s original wishes, said Coburg IG Metall representative Nicole Ehrsam. Haba’s management now has the great responsibility to lead the company onto stable paths and regain trust.
On Friday, Haba announced that it would be separating from its production site for children’s furniture in Eisleben in Saxony-Anhalt on January 1st. The company wants to focus on high-quality toys and games to promote children’s development.
