Mönninghoff (company)

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The Mönninghoff company in Hattingen became known nationwide through its double occupation and the "Hattinger model" from 1984, which combined continued employment and further training . This later became the employment and transfer companies . The programs of work-oriented regional and structural policy, the creation of technology advice centers, and finally the separate funding pot for advice on employee initiatives all had their starting point.

history

The later Mönninghoff company was founded at the end of the 19th century as a branch of the Vereinigte Flanschen-Fabriken & Stanzwerk AG in Leipzig . In 1938 it was expropriated in the course of Aryanization and became the property of the Düsseldorf company Leo Gottwald , which manufactured hoists . In 1980 the Bochumer Mineralölgesellschaft bought the plant, but the company ran into economic difficulties, which led to staff reductions.

Something similar became apparent in Bochum . First, in 1983, a part of the company in Bochum was closed and some of the employees in Hattingen were taken over. But now the group itself got into increasing difficulties, so that the banks refused further loans and guarantees . The business shares of Mönninghoff with its approximately 800 employees had been pledged as security to the Westdeutsche Landesbank , so that in the event of a Bomin bankruptcy or a settlement, the plant in Hattingen could also end up in the bankruptcy estate. The suppliers who had not yet been paid feared for their goods, which had already been delivered to Mönninghoff.

As a result, in May 1983 the workforce occupied the company gates to prevent the removal of material and machines, but also to put pressure on the banks involved and the North Rhine-Westphalian politicians. After negotiations in the Ministry of Economic Affairs , operations were initially resumed.

In January 1984 the restructuring plan envisaged reducing the number of employees by 247, ending the social plan and lowering wages. But the banks refused to agree to lending despite the country's guarantee. As a result, a settlement procedure had to be opened.

In order to prevent the suppliers from removing machines and materials again, the workforce occupied the company for the second time. Otto König from IG Metall advocated a continuation concept, arguing that this continuation would be cheaper for taxpayers than financing the high unemployment in Hattingen at the time; this threatened to rise to 20%. He was able to convince the works council and the workforce. So so-called action groups, such as the women's group, and working groups for production, further training or public relations were created. The IG Metall leadership under Hans Mayr and Franz Steinkühler agreed. Leading politicians in the country also supported the occupiers, including Finance Minister Diether Posser , Economics Minister Reimut Jochimsen , Labor Minister Friedhelm Farthmann and Prime Minister Johannes Rau . The media coverage reached far beyond the national borders, a number of non-governmental organizations and all parties in the state parliament, except for the FDP , also supported the workforce. “The whole city has identified with our struggle” (Otto König). The negotiating partners were the Westdeutsche Landesbank , the Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft and the Dresdner Bank .

The so-called "Hattinger Model" was developed for the takeover of Mönninghoff. Initially, a non-profit foundation was planned to support the continuation company, but the decision was made to use the legal form of a GmbH in order to found the "Hattinger Schmiede", which was supposed to protect the shareholders' private assets . Consultants under the leadership of Wolfgang Diez had presented a plan according to which the workforce should take over the company in order to keep it going. There were still 791 jobs, the destruction of which a "planning group around Wolfgang Diez" tried to prevent with new concepts. The concept included the establishment of a foundation, a continuation company and a career advancement organization . “Diez succeeded in sounding out a model for financing the continuation company with the banks.” On April 17, Helmut Diez and Hans-G. Draheim, Alfred Frosch and his father Wolfgang Diez presented a 43-page planning concept for the Hattinger Schmiede- und Preßwerk GmbH as the takeover company of the Mönninghoff GmbH iK company . The continuation company and the professional development company were actually set up, the latter as a registered association , which was supposed to train those employees who could not be taken over by the company. The professional development center should be operated by the association, the professional development agency and the German trade union federation.

The state government and the municipality of Hattingen were asked to support the model financially. The city of Hattingen agreed to provide 2 million D-Marks ; the state promised an investment grant of 750,000 marks and a guarantee of 9 million marks. The banks wanted to forego 2.75 million marks each, with the Westdeutsche Landesbank and the Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft to act as house banks .

But at the decisive meeting at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Düsseldorf, Dresdner Bank refused to sell its securities to the rescue company . So the continuation was finally prevented. The "Hattinger Model" had thus failed and the company was closed.

In order to inform other workforces about the processes, Otto König, Adi Ostertag and Hartmut Schulz published in 1985: "Our example could set a precedent!" The "Hattinger Model" struggle for existence on the Ruhr .

literature

  • Otto König , Adi Ostertag , Hartmut Schulz: "Our example could set an example!" The "Hattinger Model" struggle for existence on the Ruhr. Bund-Verlag, 1985.
  • Otto König: Band of Solidarity. Resistance, alternative concepts, perspectives. The IG Metall administration office Gevelsberg-Hattingen 1946–2010 , Hamburg 2012 (section “The Hattinger Model” on pp. 130–174)

Documentaries

  • The consul has long been dead. The fight at Mönninghoff-Gottwald . Media Center Ruhr, 1985 (104 min)
  • The camera in a labor dispute . LWL media center for Westphalia, director: Daniel Huhn, 2019 (40 min)

Remarks

  1. ↑ This and the following according to Otto König : "This company is occupied" - Mönninghoff GmbH in Hattingen , in: 125 years IG Metall, part 12, 23 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Mayors invite: Round of experts advises foundation , in: Hattinger Zeitung, March 8, 1984.
  3. ↑ "The external union-related consultants were of great importance for the development of the continuation concept." (Herbert Klemisch, Kerstin Sack, Christoph Ehrsam: Takeover by workforce. A current inventory. Study on behalf of the Hans-Böckler-Foundation , July 2010, chapter Mönninghoff Hattingen 1984 , pp. 18–24, here: p. 20 ( online ( memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. , PDF)). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.boeckler.de
  4. ↑ Mönninghoff: Foundation should save 600 jobs , in: Westfälische Rundschau, March 20, 1984.
  5. ↑ Otto König: "This company is occupied" - Mönninghoff GmbH in Hattingen , in: 125 Years IG Metall, Part 12, 23 August 2016.
  6. ↑ Helmut Diez, W. Diez, Hans-G. Draheim, Alfred Frosch: Planning concept for the Hattinger Schmmiede- und Preßwerk GmbH as a company takeover company of the Mönninghoff GmbH iK , on behalf of Mönninghoff, the City Council of Hattingen, the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Transport and the Ministry of Finance of North Rhine-Westphalia, 1984 .
  7. ↑ Dresdner Bank insists on bankruptcy. In: Die Tageszeitung , May 12, 1984.