Coblence. The newspaper RHEIN-ZEITUNG will make 120 staff redundant, according to an agreement with management and staff representatives. The redundancies are to take into account social criteria. Redundant staff are to apply for early retirement or early retirement with a time-limit on part-time work (Altersteilzeit). This is meant to safeguard the future of the remaining 850 staff. The redundancies were triggered by a slump in the advertising market and generally slow business.

http://www.germnews.de/archive/dn/2003/01/31.html


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Note added at 17 mins (2004-02-04 01:56:34 GMT)
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Alongside modifications to existing measures, the Pact for Older Persons contains a new model for a part-time pension (Altersteilzeit - see below).

Support for partial retirement
A new measure introduced under the Pact for Older Persons is part-time retirement (Altersteilzeit), which will come into force on 1 January 2000 in two variants. Under the provision for a partial retirement grant (Altersteilzeitgeld), women aged over 50 and men aged over 55 can reduce their standard working hours by half, while receiving 75% of their previous earnings.
This obligation to recruit a replacement worker does not apply in the case of the \"allowance to promote partial retirement\" (Beihilfe zur Förderung der Altersteilzeit);

http://www.eu-employment-observatory.net/ersep/trd33_uk/0030...

http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/missoc2000/d_par...

Kim's explanation is good but the rendition somewhat cumbersome. The above might do better, enhanced, if warranted, by an explanatory footnote (i.e. sketching the legal framework).
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http://www2.siemens.com/hauptversammlung/documents/Gegenantr...

... all conceivable instruments, such as insourcing of previously outsourced functions, reduction of work hours, senior part-time employment, early retirement ...