Last June, against all expectations, the management of Astron Buildings S.A. announced its intention to cease production in Luxembourg over the next two years. This decision will affect approximately 80 employees.

According to management, the company’s headquarters will remain in Luxembourg, mainly for administrative, engineering and R&D activities.

For the Briand Group, which recently acquired Astron Buildings, the Luxembourg production site is no longer competitive. However, this statement is only half the truth, as the investments necessary to maintain the Luxembourg site have simply been neglected for years.

Given the urgency of the social situation, the OGBL and the LCGB had to quickly reach an agreement with the management of Astron Buildings to set up a job protection plan (plan de maintien dans l’emploi – PME) to accompany the job cuts in the most socially acceptable way

At the end of the negotiations, the unions’ main objective was achieved, as there will be no layoffs.

Under the terms of the PME, the job cuts will mainly take the form of early retirement and voluntary redundancies negotiated by the unions.

The signatories to the PME have also agreed to provide all affected employees with the best possible support in finding new jobs and overcoming administrative obstacles.

The implementation of the PME and the application of the negotiated measures will be overseen by a Monitoring Committee made up of members of the signatory delegations and members of management.

The job protection plan will initially run until March 31, 2024. It may be renewed thereafter.

OGBL and LCGB Press Release
July 26, 2023