Although fears are growing

Lang

"The employees who have already been made redundant are now faced with virtually nothing before Christmas," says Daniel Lang, feeling sorry for the KTM workforce.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Manfred Fesl (2))

Not enough money to transfer the advance on the December salaries - the message from KTM leaves the employees with an enormously strained budget and disappointment. "It's devastating," says Daniel Lang. Mattighofen's mayor on the psychological burden for those affected, cost-cutting measures in the town and his conviction that things will continue.

On Thursday, the employees were informed about the liquidity bottleneck, which made it impossible to transfer the advance on December salaries and wages. On Friday morning, the news spread like wildfire and also reached Mattighofen's mayor Daniel Lang, who spoke of "devastating" news.

The situation in the municipality in the Innviertel region, where KTM has its headquarters and the museum called KTM-Motohall, is characterized by the impressions of recent weeks. "There is currently no Christmas party, no annual general meeting, no club and no other point in social life where KTM is not a topic," says the 35-year-old.

250 employees were made redundant immediately after the opening of insolvency proceedings. Lang knows about the fate of these employees: "They still received 300 euros for the one day in November and their share of the Christmas bonus. They are now facing virtually nothing before Christmas."

Uncertainty "is the worst thing"
The fact that a further 500 jobs will be lost in January, but it is not clear who will be affected, is fueling the uncertainty. "That's the bad thing. They are now being sent on Christmas vacation and don't know whether they will still have a job in January or not."

The psychological strain on the affected employees and their family members is enormous: "It is important to respond to this and listen to how they are feeling now."

If we can assess the direction in which things are going and how the municipal tax is developing, then we will see that we can get going again with these projects.

Daniel Lang, Bürgermeister von Mattighofen, über die Sparmaßnahmen im Budget der Stadtgemeinde

Renovation of outdoor pool and music school put on hold
The budget meeting in Mattighofen municipal council took place on Thursday - the consequences of the insolvency of the lead company were also felt here. The planned renovation of the outdoor pool has been postponed, as has the renovation of the regional music school. However, the development of the fourth well for Mattighofen's drinking water supply will go ahead: "We're not putting it on hold, we need it."

Bubbling rumor mill
How does he assess the bubbling rumor mill and the fears that the motorcycle manufacturer's restructuring could fall through? "I do believe that the KTM business will continue, in whatever form. That remains to be seen. But everyone is actually convinced that it will continue."