Opel-auto plant on brink of closure

The US car maker General Motors (GM) has responded to losses in its European business with massive job cuts and the closure of its Opel plant in Bochum, Germany. A press release from the company announced: “Following the discontinuation of the current Zafira Tourer (2016) and subject to further consultations, no new product is planned for manufacture at the Opel plant in Bochum”. This seals the fate of some 3,200 Opel employees and many thousands of workers at other companies whose survival directly depends on the plant in Bochum. The IG Metall trade union and works councils have been involved in intensive negotiations with management since last spring. They knew GM was resolutely pushing for closure of the Bochum plant. But they continually tried to appease the bosses and reassure the workforce. Under no circumstances were they prepared to lead a serious struggle to defend jobs. Instead, they offered increasingly lavish concessions. At the start of negotiations, for example, the union agreed to postpone a paltry pay increase of 4.3 percent.