2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
The new Opel boss Karl-Friedrich Stracke is faced with a particularly difficult task when he takes up his duties on April 1st. Nick Reilly's successor has to push ahead with the planned job cuts at the Bochum plant very quickly.
In the negotiations about the shedding of 1200 jobs at the Opel plant in Bochum, the management urges a quick solution. The goal is to find an agreement by May 1 on the job cuts planned by the end of the year, said an Opel spokesman on Friday in Bochum. Management could not rule out redundancies for operational reasons. However, that would be the last resort, said the spokesman.
No additional job cuts
The "Rheinische Post" had reported that the new Opel boss Karl-Friedrich Stracke had a "particularly unpleasant" first task after his planned start of April: "The Opel parent company General Motors requires Stracke to have 1,200 employees in May 1 To terminate Bochum."
Opel spokesman Andreas Krömer rejected this representation on Friday in Rüsselsheim: "The figures have been known for over a year, there are no additional job cuts in Bochum." There can also be no question of GM Stracke's gun on his chest and demanding immediate dismissals. Stracke is set to become CEO of Adam Opel AG on April 1. The North Hesse replaces the British Nick Reilly, who is to move to the head of the Opel supervisory board.
The arbitration board starts work on Wednesday
As planned in the restructuring plan submitted at the beginning of 2010, 600 jobs were cut in the plant last year. Another 1200 are to follow this year, said Krömer. However, according to Opel, it is unexpectedly difficult to find volunteers in Bochum who want to leave the location - although the farewell is to be sweetened with severance payments of up to 250,000 euros, depending on the length of service. The 300 offers for a change to the head office in Rüsselsheim are not well received either - although a bonus of up to 25,000 euros is supposed to be enticing here too.
Therefore, the management called an arbitration board. According to the Bochum spokesman, it should start work next Wednesday. It is made up of a neutral arbitrator and three representatives each from the works council and management. In the event of a stalemate, the impartial chairman should decide. The aim is to find a solution by May - in other words, in time to implement the job cuts by the end of the year. “We have to adjust our capacity in Bochum and renovate Opel. We have a surplus of staff,”said Krömer. In order to rehabilitate the car manufacturer, a total of 4,800 jobs are to be cut across Germany, 8,000 of the former 48,000 jobs across Europe. (dpa)
