Senior regional politicians closely aligned to the rescue attempt for Saab say any restart could see around 1,500 people employed at the bankrupt automaker.
Nearly 4,000 directly-employed staff were made redundant following Saab’s collapse and although potential buyers have mooted a figure of some 2,000 as a required start-up workforce, politicians are being more cautious.
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It is thought two main players remain in the game – Chinese manufacturer Youngman as well as as Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra – with the former in Sweden this week for what are believed to be talks with Saab’s receivers.
However, should even 2,000 staff be eventually taken on, the news would be a huge boost to Saab’s home-town of Trollhattan and surrounding region, which has endured a torrid time as the cost of mass unemployment, potentially reaching more than 10,000 people including in the supply chain, starts to bite home.
“Maybe 1,500 people can go back and start up,” Trollhattan mayor Paul Akerlund told just-auto in his office not far from Saab’s shuttered factory. “After two to three years, we could have 3,000-3,500 [people] who could work there again.
“What Youngman said [was] they will start with maybe half of the people, but we said maybe a little fewer people, 1,000-1,500 in the beginning.”
The mayor, who is also leader of the council, admitted his town and region needed “a lot of new jobs” to try and ease chronic unemployment unions estimate to be now running at up to 25%.
First hand testimony given to just-auto this week in Trollhattan by local residents indicates the situation is fast becoming severe, with the knock-on effects of mass unemployment filtering through to local businesses.
Akerlund revealed he had discussions with the national government in Stockholm about the Saab situation on a weekly basis and although some 600 workers have found new jobs, the town “must have more.”
Should Youngman eventually triumph in its dogged courtship of Saab – and its receivers – the Chinese company will have to address the contentious issue of former parent General Motor’s adamant refusal to give way on licencing its technology.
However, for the Trollhattan mayor, the issue is more about Saab having a Chinese partner full-stop, which could represent a threat to any ambitions by Opel to enter China rather than technology licences.
“I think it is more about the Chinese partner,” said Akerlund. “They [GM] have a bigger problem because Opel wants to go into China. They don’t want to have a fight with a Chinese partner.
Akerlund earlier told just-auto he believed a decision on any future Saab ownership could be made by the end of next month.
