End of work contracts, Tönnies takes stock

Exactly one year after the end of the service contracts in the meat industry, the Tönnies Group has drawn up an interim balance. According to this, 15 employees have been directly employed in Germany in the past 8.500 months. Digital time recording has been implemented at all locations and forms the basis for payroll accounting. In addition, Tönnies has taken over 2.000 properties with 5.800 living spaces in 800 properties across Germany, most of which have already been renovated and newly furnished.

Through the consistent implementation of the new occupational health and safety regulations and the North Rhine-Westphalia Housing Strengthening Act as well as the additional standards and specifications defined by the company, extraordinary improvements have been achieved in terms of the situation for the employees. A third of all employees at Tönnies would like to live in housing managed by the company and its newly founded company. More than 70 percent of employees live privately. “We have achieved a lot here in the past twelve months. We're not finished yet, but we're on the right track," says Martin Bocklage, Head of Human Resources at the Tönnies Group.

In 2021, Tönnies Immobilien Services (TIS) realized:

  • A total of high double-digit millions invested in living space
  • 2.000 apartments with 5.800 living spaces in 800 properties taken over
  • Existing rental contracts were renegotiated and standardized to the benefit of the employees
  • 60 percent of the apartments have already been renovated, and 30 percent met our defined standard when we took them over. 10 percent of the apartments are due for renovation in the short or medium term
  • 1,5 million euros invested in furnishing these properties alone
  • Purchased 450 new kitchens worth more than 300.000 euros
  • Existing furniture was taken over and, where necessary, supplemented with electrical appliances and individual pieces of new furniture
  • The employees pay 210 euros rent per person – 120 euros cold rent and 90 euros ancillary costs
  • This includes electricity, water, energy, waste disposal and all furniture, including electrical appliances such as washing machines or refrigerators, and often also the internet.
  • Caretaker service including cleaning of common areas such as stairwells and corridors, small repairs and emergency service
  • At least one check of each apartment every quarter

“The allegations made by a television magazine in December that the living conditions of the EU employees in particular were in breach of the legal requirements are not correct. In the documented individual cases, it is mainly about living space rented privately by employees or a house that we rented out at the beginning of the year and that the owner demolished months ago," Martin Bocklage continues.

The municipalities at the Tönnies locations in Germany and in the vicinity of the main plant in Rheda-Wiedenbrück all attest positive changes to the company. The first councilor of the city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Dr. Georg Robra, speaks in this context of a "paradigm shift" since Tönnies took over the housing management. This is also confirmed after regular control inspections of the residential properties, which are carried out unannounced by the responsible authorities or together with the TIS and native-speaker integration staff of the group of companies.

A report by the Social Affairs and Integration Department of the city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück dated September 16, 2021 to the Committee for Social Affairs, Migration and Sport states:

  • The Municipal Housing Control is aware of 470 objects in
    where people with a labor migration background live.
  • Of these, 366 are rented privately, 85 by Tönnies Immobilien Services and 19 by other landlords or in conversion/renovation.
  • Here regular unannounced inspections of the objects take place.
  • The focus of the several hundred checks was on adequate living space, fire protection and the general condition of the apartments.
  • Tönnies Immobilien Services is very reliable as a direct contact.
  • Problems that are identified are quickly dealt with and rectified.
  • The living conditions have improved significantly after the end of the work contracts.

With the expiry of employment opportunities through work contracts, the Tönnies Group has taken on 8.500 employees, mainly from EU member countries, who are employed in the core areas of the food company. At the same time, the company is building up its own structures in order to be able to recruit staff without external advice and support. Our own recruitment offices in Serbia, Poland and Romania are in the process of being set up or have already been put into operation. In Belgrade, a training program for the training of young technical talent for the industry has been initiated in cooperation with a German educational institution.

The international recruitment of personnel still requires the support of external service providers in the transitional phase of the transformation. In addition to recruiting employees in the countries of origin, the experienced service companies are particularly active in language mediation and, together with the Tönnies integration team, in the integration at the location.

In a year that was very challenging for everyone due to Corona, the Tönnies Group is satisfied with the progress of the transformation. Martin Bocklage: “But there is no reason to let up on these efforts. On the contrary: the path of change that has been taken should be consistently pursued.”

Apartments outside tonnies
Photo credit: Tönnies.

https://www.toennies.de/

 

Comments (0)

So far, no comments have been published here

Write a comment

  1. Post a comment as a guest.
Attachments (0 / 3)
Share your location