A 3% reduction in working hours and corresponding reduction in salaries and a host of other measures, which are designed to save between 200 and 300 full-time jobs, are under study by Compagnie des Machines Bull SA’s personnel department, says La Tribune-Defosses. We’re exploring all possible measures. One would consist of doing what Thomson did, proposing a 3% reduction in work hours. Or we could decide to go further, said Herve Hannebicque, Bull’s personnel director. Bull’s management expects to submit the hours and salary reduction plan to the trades unions in the first two weeks of April, the paper said, adding that if the unions reject the plan, it will be abandoned. Initial soundings indicate that three of the four unions fiercely oppose any such reductions. Only one recommends concluding an agreement. But even if the proposal is turned down, Bull management intends to institute new voluntary work distribution measures in the second quarter, the paper reports. The measures include part-time work, job sharing and management sharing with other firms.
