This comment analyzes a number of situations over the last two months where CEOs appeared in public. With our comments we want to contribute to the open pool of opinion and spark discussion. It is first in a series of three articles on the subject.
How to criticize unions who affect the company's policies and balance sheet
Swiss-CEO Christoph Franz was outspoken when he commented on the pilot strike last week that led to cancellations of more than 800 flights, an "extremely dissatisfying situation" that he described as "derailment". "A person with a banner in front of our building should be happy to have a work contract in the first place," he said, adding that those people should say good-bye to their past, having enjoyed life in an extremely regulated and |
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comfortable world.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of DaimlerChrysler, criticized the United Auto Workers of Detroit for an "irrational" resistance to negotiating health-care costs similar to those concessions that had been given to GM and Ford there. "It is totally unacceptable that at this time we don't have a level playing field with the two other guys in town. There is no rationale for it that I can understand."
Klaus Kleinfeld, the CEO of Siemens, did not say much when he was heavily criticized for his salary increase of about 30% annually at a time when he did not prevent his mobile phone joint venture with BenQ from being sent to insolvency last week. Kleinfeld's quote "we are very concerned of this development …" was rejected by politicians who wondered if this move had been planned in advance. The step was "a dirty trick", said the IG Metall |
