Following uncertainty in General Motors’ global operations, workers from the automaker’s German Opel division staged rallies across Europe in an attempt to save their jobs. The main rally was held at Opel’s plant in Ruesselsheim, German, where some 15,000 workers gathered.
Following GM’s bleak financial reports from North America and Europe, Opel workers are increasingly concerned about their job security. In fact, many are pleading for GM to spin off or sell its European brands.
“There is only one single chance, and that is spinning off Opel and Vauxhall from the GM group,” Klaus Franz, Opel’s top employee representative, told CNBC. Opel employs about 25,000 workers in Germany, with production facilities in four other European countries.
Rallies were also held at GM-owned Saab and Vauxhall facilities, with demonstrations taking place in Sweden, Britain, Austria, France, Spain and Hungary.
GM has vowed to cut its global workforce by 47,000 by the end of 2009, with 26,000 of those jobs cuts to come from outside the United States. GM is seeking $6 billion in aid from different European governments, but has received no indications that foreign loans are on the way.
