After intensive negotiations and under great time pressure, RWE has reached an agreement with the United Services Union (ver.di) and the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE) on the "coal exit" collective bargaining agreement.
This creates the conditions for the company to be able to end coal-fired power generation in a socially acceptable manner by 2038 at the latest, as provided for in the Coal Exit Act. Among other things, the collective agreement regulates the company's benefits that go beyond the state-guaranteed adjustment allowance (“Anpassungsgeld”). It lays down an appropriate level of cover for employees, for which RWE has gone to the limits of what is economically justifiable. This has not been easy for the company, since the economic damage resulting from the coal phaseout is already well above the envisaged compensation payments. RWE has also accepted the provisions in the collective agreement that exclude dismissals for operational reasons. In addition, measures for further internal and external training are intended to help employees who are not eligible for the adjustment allowance to be placed "from work to work".
Agreements on training and takeovers show that RWE will continue to meet its social responsibility in the future: until 2030, the company will continue to provide high-quality training beyond its own needs. Good training is an investment in the future of young people. RWE thus underlines its reputation as a reliable and attractive employer.