GM's European Workers Protest Job Cuts

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Tue, Oct. 19, 2004

GM's European Workers Protest Job Cuts

NICOLE LANGE
Associated Press


BOCHUM, Germany - Thousands of employees at General Motors Corp.'s European factories staged protests Tuesday against the automaker's plan to slash 12,000 jobs across the continent, while a shortage of parts from a striking German plant forced two other factories to stop production.
(snip)

Bochum's workers fear their aging Adam Opel AG plant will be the worst hit and have stayed off the job since parent company GM announced its plans last Thursday. They say they won't return to work unless they get assurances that no one will be fired.

The walkout showed its first signs of squeezing GM's business elsewhere in Europe.
(snip)

GM says it must reduce overhead costs to cope with sluggish consumer demand and increased competition from Japanese and other European carmakers.
(snip)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/9957875.htm
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[Maddy McCall]

1. This could get really ugly...

Germans know how to protest and it could turn violent.

[RivetJoint]

3. What's unemployment in Germany now?

Over 10%?

This is gonna hurt.

[Turley]

2. Germans have priced themselves out of the market

German Autoworkers are the most expensive in the World. The Unions pushed through a 35 hour work-week during the Go-Go 90's.

It's not exactly surprising that the biggest cuts will come in Germany.