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I can't comment on Enercon labor policies, being in the dark, but there are some very key points to consider here.

  •  Enercon is not like a real corporation, in that it is completely owned by its founder, who is the archtypical iconoclast. (i don't know how the employees get a stake, but assume they do.)

  •  In some respects, Enercon more resembles a personality cult than a business, because the genius founder wants everyone to remember he's a genius.

  •  Enercon produces the best performing turbines in the world.


"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
by Crazy Horse on Tue Jul 28th, 2009 at 08:01:42 AM EST
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Yes, Enercon is special that way. Sometimes it is quoted that Enercon is also special in fearing industrial espionage if any co-control is allowed to workers; but that doesn't seem to be the main reason.

Three links worth to read in German: profile at Greenpeace where Aloys Wobben expresses his opinion that unions are the main culprit for the downfall of midsize enterprises(...), taz article with examples of union-busting at Enercon (the end of that article claims, without naming names, that other eco-technology leaders think Enercon's practices are damaging the reputation of the whole industry), and another taz article about the firing of 70 employees in Turkey for joining a union (a decision of the local manager the company headquarters refused to comment).

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Jul 28th, 2009 at 08:57:15 AM EST
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Thanks, didn't know about Wobben's comments, though i am very aware of him, have been attacked personally by him at a conference. will comment tomorrow, now off on a very professional assignment...

Werder - Valencia testspiel in Mdeppen.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Jul 28th, 2009 at 09:56:06 AM EST
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..oh, and,

Enercon produces the best performing turbines in the world.

I heard so, too.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Jul 28th, 2009 at 12:26:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Just because a company is not listed doesn't mean it's not a real company, I'd rather call it ideal. Strong long term owners, often the founding family, is a recipe for success in the long term and an antidote to quarter capitalism. See Enercon, Bechtel, Cargill, IKEA, Bosch, Tetra Laval and so on.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid on Wed Jul 29th, 2009 at 12:41:59 PM EST
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