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voestalpine Employee Participation

Since the year 2000, employees have been participating in the capital of voestalpine AG through the ownership of own shares:

  • At the moment 25,300 employees are holding about 26 million shares (together with former employees)
  • with 14.8 % of the voting rights, they are a stable core shareholder of voestalpine AG
  • only model in Europe that combines international pooling of voting rights with individual share ownership

Since the year 2000, the management and the works council of the voestalpine Group have been engaged in the joint development of an innovative concept that was very ambitious for many at the time. The idea was to let the employees participate in the company through shares owned by them, to turn them into a stable core shareholder by pooling their voting rights, and to allow them to benefit from the success of voestalpine as individual shareholders.

At present, the voestalpine Employee Participation extends to the approximately 22,800 employees from all 52 companies of the voestalpine Group in Austria and to approximately 2,500 employees from 97 companies in 11 other countries. On their behalf approximately 23 million individual share certificates in total – corresponding to 12.9 % of the voting rights – are pooled and managed by a private foundation. Additionally former and also active employees of the group privately hold about 3.3 million shares which, due to the general bundling of voting rights, represent 1another 1.9 % of the company’s share capital. Representing 14.8 % of the voting rights of voestalpine AG in total, the voestalpine Mitarbeiterbeteiligung Privatstiftung is therefore a stable core shareholder in Austria, both in terms of voting rights percentage and share value.

For further information about the basic principles of Employee Participation in Austria and internationally, please visit the following webpage: Basic principles of Employee Participation in Austria and internationally

Employee Participation counts on the support of management and works council

Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans-Karl Schaller and voestalpine-CEO Herbert Eibensteiner

The management and the works council developed the model jointly, and both are still fully in support of the Employee Participation plan. It is regarded as an example of “social partnership” in action – the internal cooperation between employer and employee for which voestalpine is well known.

More than 25,000 employees are now shareholders in voestalpine AG within the framework of the Employee Participation scheme. In this way, they not only participate in the long-term success of the company, but they also make an important strategic contribution to the stability and further development of the Group. The strong bond between our employees and the company always has been and is a key factor of our success. Looking back on the 20 years of this successful model makes us all proud. I would like to thank the employees for their confidence and at the same time emphasise that we see it is our duty to continue to jointly develop employee participation and secure its long-term future.

Herbert Eibensteiner, Chairman of the Management Board of voestalpine AG

The strength of the Employee Participation is particularly evident during difficult times, as it creates a special identification within the Group and because it is obvious proof of the solidarity among all the employees and their commitment to the company. Employee Participation is also an especially important link between the Worker’s Council and the Management Board, which helps us to overcome the current challenges together. Together we will fight for each and every job.

Hans-Karl Schaller, Chairman of the Corporate Works Council