Berlin Extends Job Guarantee in Schwedt Until June
Berlin has extended its job guarantee for the PCK refinery in Schwedt, Brandenburg, until the end of June, a move aimed at increasing planning security for employees and securing the implementation of the federal government’s “Future Package”.
The decision, announced on New Year’s Eve, was welcomed by Brandenburg’s Minister-President Dietmar Woidke, who had previously lobbied for an extension of the job guarantee. “It’s very gratifying that the federal government has reacted to our demands and extended the job guarantee” he said.
The job guarantee, initially set to expire at the end of 2024, was extended by the federal government in a letter to the Brandenburg economy minister, Daniel Keller, and the federal labor ministry.
The PCK refinery in Schwedt, which has been a major concern for the region, is a key player in the German energy market, supplying large parts of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and western Poland with fuels and petrochemical products.
Despite the complex situation, the federal economy ministry sees a positive development at the refinery, with its utilization rate remaining stable and no supply chain issues reported. The ministry also emphasized the success of the “Future Package” which aims to promote the transition to “climate-friendly” energy.
The refinery, owned by a majority of German subsidiaries of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft, has been under German trusteeship since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. The federal government has been pushing Rosneft to quickly sell its shares in the PCK refinery and other German refineries.
The transition of the refinery to alternative energy sources is not without its challenges and is also costly, as the facilities are designed to process the specific chemical composition of Russian crude oil.