ABSTRACT

In early 2002, industrial workers at the Siemens power generator factory in Erfurt, Germany, made then-CEO Heinrich von Peirer an honorary member of their works council. His membership was a gesture of gratitude for the company’s efforts to keep the inefficient factory open. By 2004, however, von Peirer was no long welcome on the council. Instead, he delivered a stern message to Siemens workers: Only those employees who were innovative and flexible could be sure of keeping their jobs. Increasingly, von Peirer warned, the company would grow by building facilities outside of Germany’s expensive borders. Indeed, today, many observers are asking whether with so many overseas employees Siemens is still a German company. 1