May 14, 2026 11:57

As part of the PACE restructuring plan, launched last autumn (see article), chemical group Wacker has reached an agreement with employee representatives in Germany on a socially responsible reduction program affecting around 1,600 jobs in the country.

By the end of 2027, around 1,300 jobs will be eliminated at Burghausen, Wacker’s largest site worldwide. A further 200 jobs will be cut at Nünchritz, 60 at the Munich headquarters and another 50 at other group sites in Germany.

The agreement provides for a voluntary departure program based on phased early retirement arrangements and severance agreements, thereby avoiding forced layoffs.
This will also be made possible by a temporary solidarity contribution, consisting of a 4% reduction in working hours and pay, which will apply to all the group’s German employees for the next two years.

In addition to the employment measures, the PACE plan includes structural actions such as the consolidation of production facilities, greater flexibility in shift patterns and transfers to international service hubs. The aim is to reduce costs by more than €300 million a year and thereby strengthen long-term competitiveness.

“With the agreement we have now concluded, we have reached an important milestone in driving forward the necessary transformation in Germany and strengthening our competitiveness,” said Christian Hartel, CEO of Wacker. “We have already implemented numerous measures at our international sites that make us more flexible, more efficient and faster. Now, the implementation phase will start in Germany as well.”

Headquartered in Munich, Wacker Chemie is a multinational chemical company founded in 1914 and still controlled by the Wacker family. It operates 27 production sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia with more than 16,000 employees, across four divisions: Silicones, Polymers, which produces binders and adhesives, Polysilicon, which supplies polysilicon for semiconductors and solar cells, and Biosolutions, focused on life sciences.

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