IG Metall threatens Stellantis as Opel furloughs, Product development in Morocco

[AlexB]

IG Mettall is Germany’s largest and powerful union:

Workers at Opel's Eisenach plant, which was shut down last week until the end of the year due to chip shortages, on Thursday accused the carmaker's owner, Stellantis STLA.MI, of exploiting Germany's furlough scheme to move production out of the country.

“Union officials fear that Opel, which is bound by an agreement struck last year not to make any workers in Germany redundant until 2025, is placing Eisenach workers on furlough as a temporary fix that could evolve into a longer-term shutdown.”
The Grandland X model being produced in Eisenach will be made at the company's Sochaux plant in France until the shutdown lifts, but workers fear it will be moved there permanently.

"We won't let this be done to us," local workers' council head Uwe Loesche wrote in a statement published on union IG Metall's website”

https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/german-union-criticizes-stellantis-over-use-of-furlough-scheme-at-opel-plant-2021-10-07?amp

“IG Metall has warned the European auto company Stellantis of a deforestation at its German subsidiary Opel. “The Stellantis Group should be aware that a massive conflict threatens if outsourcing plans and product relocations are implemented,” said the district chief of IG Metall Mitte, Jörg Köhlinger, on Friday. The support of the Prime Ministers of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia is “an expression of a broad alliance against deforestation”.

Last week, Stellantis announced plans to separate the two production plants in Rüsselsheim and Eisenach from the German unit Opel Automobile GmbH. In addition, due to the lack of semiconductors, the Eisenach plant is to be closed for three months, while production will continue in other Stellantis plants. For this purpose, short-time work should be applied for. On Wednesday, further indications of an imminent reorganization of Opel GmbH became known, in which, for example, development capacities could be relocated to Morocco for cost reasons.

Possible clear cut at Opel: IG Metall threatens Stellantis with massive conflict

IG Metall has warned the European auto company Stellantis of a deforestation at its German subsidiary Opel. “The Stellantis Group should be aware that a massive conflict threatens if outsourc…

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