Akerson And Neumann To Visit Merkel

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

GM CEO Dan Akerson and freshly minted Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann will receive a one hour audience with German Chancellor Angela Merkel this Thursday “to discuss the rejection of a plant closure timetable by workers which could speed the factory’s shutdown,” as Reuters reports.

Workers at Opel’s Bochum plant rejected a restructuring deal that would have kept the plant open through 2016 and which would have offered jobs to 1,200 of the more than 3,000 employees after car production ends in 2016. In exchange, wage increases would have been delayed.

Ever since GM and its DC sugar daddy reneged on plans to sell Opel to Magna and the Russians with a lot of help of the German government, GM is not very popular in Berlin. If Akerson and Neumann come begging for money, all they will receive is a cold shoulder.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

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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 8 comments
  • Gentle Ted Gentle Ted on Apr 08, 2013

    I am sure they both will have a very frosty reception, and that is to be expected, after all GM screwed up in the first place with dishing the Magna deal without even considering it!

  • Doctor olds Doctor olds on Apr 08, 2013

    Akerson and Neuman come from a position of strength. Merkel may beg them to retain jobs, however.

    • See 3 previous
    • Doctor olds Doctor olds on Apr 09, 2013

      @wmba To think Angela Merkel doesn't care about 37,000 German jobs and responds in the emotional way you speak from displays incredible naivete. To cite TTAC as "documentation", absurd. Business is brutal, Henderson is history. GM can move away from Opel. Where will the jobs go? I didn't say or imply that Akerson was going to "lay down the law", just that he will not be groveling. I am sure he want to make nice. As for the bankruptcy.Exactly how would you like to see it acknowledged?

  • Junebug Junebug on Apr 08, 2013

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel - that picture of her looks like her Metamucil hadn't kicked in yet.

  • Mike978 Mike978 on Apr 08, 2013

    Welcome back Bertel, it has been a while.

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