Solidarity with Antwerp!

The 26/04/2007 press release 'EEF and EMF support Antwerp workers' posted on this site mentioned that a European Action Day has been called for 3rd May to express solidarity and support the EEF and EMF demands. Here is a copy of those demands that appeared in that press release.

The joint demands of all GM plants and unions represented within GM are as follows:

· Guarantee of a decent volume share and the allocation of at least two products to the Antwerp plant.

· Conclusion of a European Future Agreement until 2016 for all European GM plants, including minimum standards for outsourcing.


Here are 2 news articles that elaborate on this European Action Day.


GM Europe workers to hold warning strikes
Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:50AM BST
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - General Motors Europe's workers plan warning strikes on May 3 to press for a deal that would secure enough production volume at GM's plant in Antwerp, the carmaker's European labour leader said on Thursday.

"Moreover we demand a contract guaranteeing the future of all GM Europe plants including Powertrain until the end of 2016," Klaus Franz told Reuters.

He would not rule out further industrial action in order to persuade GM to build more than just 80,000 units of what will likely be a small Chevrolet planned to plug in a yawning production gap left after management decided not to build the next-generation Astra compact in Antwerp beyond 2010.

GM Europe said on Wednesday that management would study a staff demand for a second product for the plant and would discuss its findings at meetings.

Negotiations were being held with labour over the conditions under which four other GM Europe plants would get work to build a revamped version of the company's best-selling compact.

"No trade unionist, no works council member will take part in negotiations until Antwerp gets enough volume," Franz said.

GM Europe last week revealed plans to cut the equivalent of an entire shift or about 1,400 jobs, at its Belgian plant this year to trim surplus staff as overcapacities mount.

GM Europe was not immediately reachable for a comment.
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GM faces one-day strike in Europe
By Sarah Laitner in Brussels, John Reed in London and agencies

Published: April 27 2007 11:32 | Last updated: April 27 2007 11:32

General Motors faces a one-day strike at its European plants next week in protest at production cuts by the US carmaker.

The company’s European labour representatives called for a day of action next Thursday as part of efforts to press for a deal on GM’s factory in Antwerp.

GM last week announced plans to shed 1,400 jobs - a third of the workforce - at its Belgian site as it reduces manufacturing of the best-selling Astra model. Employees at the Antwerp plant are on a week-long strike over the decision.

The job losses were another blow for the Belgian car-assembly industry after VW announced cutbacks at its Brussels factory in November.

GM, the world’s biggest-selling carmaker, this week confirmed that it could produce up to 80,000 cars of one model annually in Antwerp after it cuts production of the Astra vehicle.

However, the company’s European labour representatives yesterday branded GM’s offer “asbolutely insufficient” and said that the Antwerp plant should make at least two models.

GM would not say which model it might build in Antwerp. However, industry sources believe that the likeliest candidate would be a model produced by Chevrolet, its value brand, for which GM is developing a new low-cost car.

Like other carmakers, GM is required to go through a consultation period before making decisions on jobs at the Antwerp plant. This law was instated after Renault, the French group, abruptly closed a car factory near Brussels in 1997, with the loss of 3,000 jobs.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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