Dear colleagues, dear comrades,

Quimonda ist the fourth largest memory chip producer worldwide and filed for bankruptcy in January 2009. Quimonda is to 77 per cent a subsidiary company of Infineon and a loser in the massive battle of annihilation on the semiconductor market.

In 2008, 40 new semiconductor plants were under construction in the entire world and 75 other ones were being planned. The replacement of the up to now most modern 300mm wafer production by the 450mm wafer is being prepared. New strategic alliances are developing. This gives some idea of the destructive power that the beginning world economic crisis will set forth with respect to the productive forces. In the region of Dresden/Germany, people are already talking about 42,000 jobs in the semiconductor industry that are in danger. AMD, as well, concludes the financial year with „heavy losses“ according to own reports.

12,300 employees are directly affected worldwide by the bankruptcy that has been filed by Qimonda. In Germany alone about 5,000 in Dresden and Munich, in Portugal more than 2,000, and in addition further ones in the USA and in plants in Asia. Now a huge poker game is going on for millions of subsidies and support by means of state securities. In the “Sächsische Zeitung” from 24/25 January 2009, the chairman of the executive board, Kin Wah Loh, writes: “The executive board of Qimonda tries to rehabilitate essential parts of the company within the framework of the insolvency.”  The life interests of the employees and their families are worth nothing in this game. The insolvency robs the workers of their last rights and serves to rigorously shift the burden of the crisis onto the masses of workers and engineers. According to statements of the insolvency agent, production at Qimonda is supposed to run until the end of March at the most.

The workforce of the corporations of Infineon and Qimonda in all parts of the world can only succeed in the struggle for the preservation of all jobs and trainee posts in a resolute and common struggle. In this, they deserve broad solidarity! For many years the MLPD is doing factory and  trade union work in this corporation. The chairman of the county organization of the MLPD in Dresden declared:

“After the last hopes of many colleagues have now been lost, the road of the struggle for the class interests of the workers has to be taken - for the preservation of all jobs at the expense of the profits of Qimonda, Infineon and Siemens Corp., no division of the locations, 30-hour workweek with full wage compensation! ... The MLPD is standing firmly at the side of the workers. We have always been active in this spirit and we will be noticeably active in the coming days!”

On Tuesday, 3 February 2009, a demonstration will take place in Dresden to which the Metal Workers Union has called. Such workers’ demonstrations which take place in a crisis situation are very significant and the MLPD is actively mobilizing for it. At the same time we are criticizing the reformist direction of demanding “more subsidies” for Qimonda. The struggle has to be waged against the shifting of the burden of the crisis onto the back of the masses and the working class!

On 12 February 2009, on the occasion of the shareholders’ meeting, a day of action has been proposed by shop stewards of the Metal Workers Union, which shall take place in Munich/Germany to protest for the defence of jobs.

We would like to ask you to spread the idea of the transnational common struggle and to promote international workers’ unity, actions of solidarity and common actions and declarations of solidarity in your countries.

Please send solidarity declarations to: redaktion@rf.news.de

Workers of all countries, unite!

Kind regards

Roland Meister

(In charge of international affairs)

Enclosure:

As far as we know there are the following plants of Qimonda and Infineon:

Qimonda:

PRODUCTION PLANTS:

• Germany ( Dresden, Munich)

• Portugal ( near Porto, about 2300 employees)
• USA ( Richmond, Cary,- several thousand employees )
• China
• Taiwan 

Research and Development:

• USA ( Albany, Cary, Houston, Burlington)
• Portugal ( Porto)
• Germany ( Munich, Dresden,)
• Taiwan
• Singapur
• Malaysia

Infineon:

Production Plants :

• Germany ( Regensburg, Dresden, Munich, Warstein Belecke, Nuremberg (Comneon), Karlsruhe (Hitex) )
• Austria ( Villach)
• France ( next to Essonnes/near Paris- Joint Venture Infineon/IBM)
• USA ( Richmond, Cary, Morgan Hill)
• Hungary (Cegled)
• China ( Wuxi, Suzhou)
• Taiwan ( still Inotera-Jointventure)
• Indonesia ( Batam)
• Malaysia ( Kulim, Malacca)
• Singapur

Research and Development Centers:

• India ( Bangalore)
• Malaysia
• Singapur
• Taiwan
• Shanghai
• China (Xian)
• Romania ( Bucharest)
• Israel (Netanya)
• Austria ( Linz)
• Sweden ( Stockholm)
• Norway
• Germany ( Erlangen, Nuremberg, Dresden..)
• Austria ( Villach, Graz)
• Italy ( Padua)
• USA ( Fishkill, Albany, Burlington, Tempe..)