Opel’s Works Council says it has no information the European automaker will renege on its deal to not force a series of site closures and redundancies.
Speculation is rife Opel parent General Motors is fast running out of patience with its heavily loss-making subsidiary, with some observers forecasting an imminent fourth quarter negative result for the manufacturer on top of major losses during the past few years.
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Part of that speculation has centred on possible plant closures across Europe with Bochum in Germany and Ellesmere Port in the UK cited as among those potentially earmarked for cuts.
At the end of 2010, GM engaged in a long and bitter struggle to shutter its Astra-producing Antwerp plant in Belgium, with its eventual closure resulting in the loss of thousands of staff.
Agreement was reached to achieve savings through employee productivty up to 2014, but details of the period from 2012-2014 have yet to be worked out, adding to speculation Opel could wield either a plant or staff axe in Europe.
“The Group Works Council of Opel has no information General Motors or the Opel management are planning to breach the existing treaties,” a spokeswoman for Works Council chairman Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug told just-auto from Germany.
“Those treaties are excluding plant closures and enforced redundancies for all European sites until 2014.”
The Works Council added “they can’t change treaties unilaterally” noting the labour organisation was waiting to see what next week’s results would bring.
