Read this article in:
14 December, 2005
Things are definitely changing in the industrial gases sector. Mergers and acquisitions are decreasing the number of global players. In addition, there is a rising demand in industrial gases for the steel and petrochemical sector, with the biggest investments in new plants taking place in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
At the conference on industrial gases, organised by ICEM affiliates Centrale Générale (Belgium) and FNV Bondgenoten (Netherlands), in Blankenberge, Belgium, on 14-15 December 2005, the ICEM presented an overview of the economic situation in the sector, as well as of the big 5 global players. The presentation also includes a brief forecast for the next years.
The continuous growth in the industrial gases sector and the many new applications for industrial gases, for example in the medical sector, are good news for employees. The shift from manufacturing plants to so-called low-cost countries, however, is a real challenge for the workers and their unions.
The presentation explains how workers in the sector from different countries can cooperate and how a communication network can be built between the workers’ representatives in the different European countries. Another important question that is touched upon is how the different systems of industrial relations work in each country of the EU.
Click here for the complete presentation.