Severance at thyssenkrupp – what matters now

Workforce reduction at thyssenkrupp Steel: what is happening

On 25 November 2024 thyssenkrupp Steel Europe announced a reduction of around 11,000 jobs by 2030: approximately 5,000 through direct headcount reduction and around 6,000 through carve-outs or outsourcing. Production capacity is to be reduced from 11.5 to 8.7–9 million tonnes of steel per year (source: thyssenkrupp; Tagesschau; WDR).

The announcement hits a region already in structural transition. Political and union pressure is high – IG Metall has issued clear push-back signals. For you as an employee that means: there is negotiating room – but you have to use it actively.

Affected sites

• Duisburg: Bruckhausen, Beeckerwerth, Hamborn (most affected).
• Bochum: stainless-steel plant and service business.
• Dortmund/Hörde: industrial services, former Hoesch subsidiaries.
• Andernach (Rhineland-Palatinate): tinplate plant.
• Further smaller sites across NRW.

Employees in the Ruhr area are usually represented before the Dortmund, Duisburg or Essen labour courts, depending on the employer's seat.

IG Metall, social plan and employment security

thyssenkrupp Steel is one of the most strongly unionised employers in Germany. After warning strikes and demonstrations, the company and IG Metall have now signed a restructuring collective agreement running until 30 September 2030. A reconciliation of interests and a social plan – with instruments such as partial retirement, severance payments and transfer companies – are part of the agreement; the specific terms were agreed to be confidential (source: thyssenkrupp).

Even with the framework signed, the individual decision remains decisive: a termination offer does not automatically exhaust the social plan. Signing early and unchecked may leave negotiating room on the table – especially with long tenure, severe disability or specialist roles. An individual assessment is therefore almost always worthwhile.

Social-plan benchmarks at tk Steel

• Core factor: 1.0 to 1.5 gross monthly salaries × years of service (earlier social plans 2019–2021).
• Age-graduated base amounts.
• Hardship premiums for disability, family obligations, critical life situations.
• Transfer company as an option (often with re-training component).

The current restructuring collective agreement contains a social plan, but its terms were agreed to be confidential. Against this background – driven by political and union pressure – at least comparable and partly higher values are expected. The calculation becomes reliable with your concrete offer.

Carve-outs and business transfer (§ 613a BGB)

A large part of the reduction is to happen via the carve-out or outsourcing of areas. Legally this is a business transfer under § 613a BGB: your employment rights generally pass to the new employer, including tariff coverage and benefits for a transition period.

Right to object: you can object to the transfer. But: your employment then stays with thyssenkrupp – and the risk of a compulsory redundancy may rise considerably if the area disappears. Whether an objection makes sense depends on your specific situation and the financial standing of the new employer.

If a dismissal is issued

If a compulsory redundancy is issued, the 3-week deadline under § 4 KSchG applies. Given strong co-determination, political scrutiny and uncertainty around individual measures, the chances of success of a wrongful-dismissal claim are high in many cases – most matters settle for a severance.

How your case runs with us

1. Free first call: we evaluate your specific case (offer, dismissal, carve-out).
2. Engagement: litigation funding, no upfront payment.
3. Negotiation with thyssenkrupp HR / works council interface via our partner lawyers.
4. Litigation if needed at the competent labour court in the Ruhr area.
5. Settlement or judgement – usually a severance at the conciliation hearing.