Osram’s workers were worried a year after the ams took them over

It was summer, however, before the papers actually went to the Austrians after obtaining all the permits from competition law. Ams currently owns a good 70 percent of Osram and is in the process of taking control. The Profit Transfer and Dominance Agreement has been terminated and will enter into force soon. In addition, Osram’s boss Olaf Berlien has to leave and is expected to be replaced by ams Ingo Bank’s CFO in February. The supervisory board will be chaired by board member Thomas Stockmeier from 15 December.

That Berlien, who in November insisted that he has a lot of ideas for Osram, has to leave certainly raises questions, says Abel. After the personnel changes, Ams could “really outdo”. However, the union representative relies on a take-over agreement that gives Osram and the employees some protection: “We expect Ams to honor the contract,” says Abel. And he emphasizes belligerence: “We are well prepared to enter into a dispute if you do not honor the agreements.”

Concerns among workers are notably that AMS might part ways with areas in Osram. There has always been speculation about a large automotive sector, but the Austrian company has always denied it. Limited to the Ams sensor industry.

The fact that the Styrians are taking control of Osram has hit the bull’s eye because the Munich company is actually much bigger. But business in Osram was bad even before the Corona crisis broke out. They also provided deep red data for the past fiscal year. On the other hand, ams made it through the crisis relatively well thanks to its strong smartphone sensor business.