Criticism of KTM boss

KTM

"We are no longer talking about management mistakes, but about management failure," says the President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Markus Wenzel)

First the advance on the December salary should have been paid a few days after the opening of insolvency proceedings, then at least before Christmas - now nothing at all! The fact that KTM did not keep its promise to its employees is causing anxiety and anger. Andreas Stangl, President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor, is not sparing with his criticism - especially of KTM owner Stefan Pierer.

"There is simply no more handshake quality," said Andreas Stangl early on Friday morning, when the President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor revealed in the same breath: KTM, the motorcycle manufacturer that has slipped into insolvency, is not keeping its promises and is unable to transfer the advances on December salaries and wages due to a lack of liquidity.

250 employees already laid off
For the thousands of employees in Mattighofen, Munderfing and Schalchen, 250 of whom have already been given notice, this news was a blow. What happens now? The transfers from the insolvency pay fund, which takes over the November wages and most of the Christmas bonus, will not be made until January. As usual, KTM intends to transfer the December salaries for employees at the end of the month and the December wages for workers in mid-January.

"We don't like being lied to"
Andreas Stangl's anger has not faded even days after the broken promise became known. "They promise something they don't keep," hisses Stangl. And he continues: "If I can't promise something, then I won't say it. People were all expecting to get their money. We don't like being lied to."

"Management failure"
No November salary, practically no Christmas bonus, no advance for December either - what does this mean for Christmas for KTM employees? "People are now unloading their relatives because they don't know how to pay for the food," says Stangl, who speaks in this context "of the responsibility of a Pierer" and says in the direction of the motorcycle manufacturer's owner: "We are no longer talking about management mistakes, but about management failure. And we are not talking about a KTM insolvency, but about a KTM scandal."

Criticism not only because of dividend payments
The criticism of Stefan Pierer, who is considered one of the wealthiest Austrians, refuses to die down - and not just because of the dividend payouts that have taken place in recent years. What does Stangl expect from the KTM owner? "Pierer should pay the employees with his money. He should put his money in an envelope and drive home to everyone, give them the money so that they can buy themselves a Christmas dinner."