Due to the impending closure of Goodyear tire production in Fürstenwalde, the mayor of the city is pushing for a quick clarification of how the industrial site will be used in 2027. Mayor Matthias Rudolph called on the company to hand over the area to the city. “I expect Goodyear to transfer this site to the city for a symbolic euro as compensation,” the mayor (Alliance for Fürstenwalde’s Future) told the German Press Agency. “It must be reused quickly.” He expects the company to hold quick talks with the city.
Companies: Want to work with the city
When asked by dpa, Goodyear said: “The options for the plant in Fürstenwalde will be discussed at a later date.” The company is determined to work with the city in this process. “Our current focus is on project implementation and fulfilling the conditions that we have agreed and signed with our social partners.”
Tire production in Fürstenwalde is to be stopped by the end of 2027. From 2025, 750 jobs are to be gradually eliminated. Other tire factories in Germany are also facing closure. The industry is under great pressure from imports from Asia.
Social plan with good severance payments agreed
Employees and the IG BCE union protested several times in front of the Goodyear factory site in the Oder-Spree district. They demanded that jobs be retained and the company be sold to an investor. A social plan has now been agreed which, from the union’s point of view, provides for good severance payments.
Union has no indication of saving the tire plant
The hope of preserving the traditional tire site in the town of Fürstenwalde, which has a population of around 34,000, has thus dwindled. The district head of the IG BCE union, Rolf Erler, told the dpa that a well-funded social plan was only the second-best solution. It would have been better to continue the production site. “There are no signs of this so far.”
The state government also campaigned for the preservation of the tire factory. Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) assured Goodyear employees last November that it would fight for industrial jobs. Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) joined in the talks.
Mayor wants more clarity by the end of the year
The mayor of Fürstenwalde said his greatest fear was that Goodyear would let the site rot after the plant was closed. He would not tolerate a blockade of the Fürstenwalde industrial site. “An industrial company can take over immediately,” said Rudolph, who wants to enter the state parliament for BVB/Free Voters. He is running in the state elections in Brandenburg on September 22nd.
Addressing the Goodyear officials, he said: “I expect them to finally get in touch with us to talk about how marketing and continued use could look.” By the end of the year, it should be clear what will happen next. However, the city will not be talking about several million euros for the price of the property. “This cannot go beyond a symbolic price,” said Rudolph, referring to the city’s support for Goodyear. “We have supported them wherever we could.”
Goodyear will probably not disappear from the site completely. Instead of tires, rubber compounds for other Goodyear plants in Europe will continue to be produced in Fürstenwalde after 2027. “The smell of rubber from tire production is part of Fürstenwalde,” said Mayor Rudolph.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240909-930-227014/1
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