Antonio Simina, head of the Hugo Boss workers' council, is fighting Permira, the fashion company's private equity owner, which took control of the company in August 2007.
Chairman and chief executive Bruno Sälzer has already left and Guiseppe Vita, chairman of Hugo Boss's supervisory board, will step down in May. Contrary to employees' wishes, Permira has demanded a special dividend of 445 million euros and wants to use less of its own capital and increase debt along with promoting faster growth. Both unions and works council are talking about corporate raiders. Although Antonio Simina doesn't think the company is under threat, he tells MIG Reporter Carmen Meyer that the employees will put up a fight.