General Motors, the world’s biggest car firm, was forced to cut production in its European plants yesterday as labour unrest at its German factories disrupted output.
Union leaders said more than 50,000 staff at 13 facilities demonstrated in Germany against the US car giant, which aims to cut its European workforce by up to 12,000 – roughly a fifth – to halt chronic losses in the region.
Police said at least 10,000 people marched in the city of Bochum in Germany’s industrial heartland, which also has an Opel plant. The German government has called on Opel workers at Bochum to return to work and await developments in negotiations between management and unions.
Meanwhile, the deputy parliamentary leader of Germany’s ruling Social Democrats, Michael Müller, was quoted as saying that GM’s decision to move some production to Poland may be motivated by Warsaw’s support for the war in Iraq. GM officials denied the link, saying the decision is strictly commercial.