UAW, IG Metall and Opel General Works Council concluded "Memorandum of Understanding"

IG Metall (IGM), the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) and the Opel General Works Council are acting on the basis of a common experience that when dealing with a multinational company like General Motors (GM), solidarity must be practised globally. General Motors management has developed global templates and global strategies which allows them to play off unions against unions and workers against workers. The implementation of the global vehicle architectures implies a new era of globalization which has begun within General Motors worldwide.

GM’s globalization could lead to a dangerous process of downward spiralling competition among the GM plants and unions. These policies could lead to an increasing imbalance of capacity utilization between plants and jobs in "high cost" and "low cost" countries. GM’s globalization process could also endanger any fair bargain between GM management and unions/works councils on the national and local level.

As a matter of principle and against the background of our shared experience, the UAW, the IG Metall and the Opel General Works Council favour pro-active solidarity and joint strategies in the face of an advanced implementation of globalization at General Motors. Therefore, IG Metall has asked the UAW in agreement with the Opel General Works Council for the candidacy of the UAW Vice President in charge of the GM Department, Cal Rapson, for the Opel Supervisory Board and adopt the following principles and objectives:

- to encourage further dialogue among the IG Metall, UAW and the Opel General Works Council,

- to set up an internal information and consultation process with regard to any decision which could have an effect on jobs and plants in the different GM regions,

- to use information given in the Opel Supervisory Board not for the disadvantage of each other,

- to vote unanimously in Opel Supervisory Board meetings,

- to work jointly to set up a World Employee/union Committee/Forum for General Motors.

Cal Rapson, Vice President UAW-GM Department

Thomas Klebe, IG Metall Vorstand

Klaus Franz, KBR-Vorsitzender