GM In No Hurry To Talk To Opel Unions
With GM wanting to have a turn-around plan for its money-losing Opel division in a couple of months by summer, one would think there is at least some sense of urgency. Opel’s workers thought the same – until management rebuffed repeated attempts to sit down and talk. Opel labor leader Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug said management was not being “responsible” by rejecting the repeated efforts for negotiations, Reuters reports.
The European employee forum of General Motors says speculation on the future of GM’s European sites has damaged the image of Opel and Vauxhall:
“It is especially the case that employees in all European sites suffer insecurity from this speculation. Potential customers are furthermore made insecure in the already difficult economic environment.”
Workers’ representatives have asked the boards of GM and Opel for discussions, but talks were rejected, the statement says.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Europe's economy is tanking. Every week of sales data gives GM more leverage.
Legal consultants will be dealing on behalf of management. My guess restructuring involving layoffs after strikes or lockouts.
How does Opel/Vauxhall maintain marketshare against the rest of the Germans with NO support from Detroit? Or access to NA markets? THEY DONT. IE Saab. FUGM
Work with the Unions GM, this is Germany, not Michigan.