Representatives of European metalworkers unions have reacted angrily to today’s (4 October) news General Motors has ended its search for an industrial investor at its Opel site in Belgium.

Only a few days ago, GM’s Opel/Vauxhall CEO Nick Reilly told just-auto potential bidders for the Antwerp site could be announced this week, but today’s news appears to pour cold water on any industrial investor being chosen.

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Production is continuing at the plant until the end of the year, by which time Opel has said manufacturing will end and the plant will close, although unions insist GM did not allow enough time and that one bid was turned down.

“We are very disappointed – they [GM] made all the right noises to find the right person but the ones who showed an interest have been turned down,” European Metalworkers Federation (EMF) company policy director Tony Murphy in Belgium told just-auto.

“One made an offer and was refused. The other was a US company that just ran out of time. We have said all along the timetable was too tight, particularly for Chinese investors.”

Murphy conceded there were some lower category investors potentially interested in the Antwerp factory but this could involve the site being used for warehouses – as happened with some axed car plants in the US – or car parking.

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The Flemish government within whose territory the Antwerp site lies, is currently meeting Belgian unions who were told the news at a meeting in the staff canteen earlier today.

EMF general secretary Peter Scherrer said the situation was “very dramatic” and there would be a union conference call tomorrow to discuss the situation. “We want to sort it out and don’t want to be too hasty,” he added.

GM declined to add to its earlier statement.