The U.S. multinational General Motors has decided to close its Opel factory in Antwerp (Belgium) the automobile factory that was responsible for producing the Astra model. At the same time also ensured the continuity of the Spanish plant Figueruelas (Zaragoza) by emphasizing the importance of this and reaffirmed as an important factor in its European automotive subsidiary. Antwerp is the only group Opel factory to close in Europe.

The CEO of Opel Europe, Nick Reilly, said recent statements that the other subsidiaries will suffer layoffs and that the group’s ability to be reduced by 20%. This new structure will mean that Opel has been laid off 8300 of its 48,000 jobs. The retrenchment in Figueruelas affect about 900 people, according to GM’s plans.

The mass layoff has a huge impact on jobs in Antwerp, given the importance and the large number of jobs that the Opel company supplied the cities of Antwerp. Also this plant has promised him a short time before the next production of Opel SUV, but eventually this was awarded to GM-Daewoo in South Korea, where we know that labor and production costs are more affordable this event has made Belgian trade unions have called on the solidarity of workers in other factories of the group to fight closure

General Motors, in turn, will convene his workers in the European Forum and presented to employee representatives to restructure its industrial plan Opel. The decision to close the plant in Antwerp has been a major problem for Figueruelas plant and temporarily paralyzing the talks, at the factory, on the restructuring plan.

The closure of the plant in Antwerp, it was a premeditated and already in the first restructuring plans. This fact concern for European workers because production will be diverted to Korea. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has criticized this decision and criticized the American multinational that moved to South Korea’s production of the new small SUV promised to Antwerp.

The chairman of the works of Spanish plant, Jose Juan Arceiz, said that closing the atmosphere thins much negotiation. The Aragonese factory must negotiate their future within a package that includes the business plan, the restructuring and the collective agreement itself.

All this is related to the saga of General Motors and Opel, GM,where there known if he was going to sell to Magna, keep it or close it for lack of funds. The German government has had much to do in this story because Germany is a nation that has more employees at Opel and would be more affected than leaving something wrong. Finally stayed with GM Opel to recover from bankruptcy, for discontent in Germany.

Antwerp was in charge of producing the Astra GTC, Twin Top and Station Wagon. Antwerp will close in June, when it is expected to begin to develop its predecessors. This news has been a blow to the Belgian industry, which still retains a Volvo plant in Ghent. Nick Reilly – Opel pattern – has sought to show sadness at the decision and regretted that many families will be unemployed. Redundancy plan promises a progressive and socially responsible.

Opel

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