PSA will uphold Opel, Vauxhall labour deals
PSA GROUP will respect existing Opel and Vauxhall labour agreements if it buys the European arm of General Motors (GM), PSA and Opel workers’ representatives said in a joint statement yesterday.
PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, and GM said last week they were in talks over the sale of Opel and sister brand Vauxhall to the French car-maker, sparking concerns in Germany and Britain of job losses and demands for close collaboration with labour leaders.
PSA chief executive Carlos Tavares met with representatives of powerful German labour union IG Metall and Opel’s European works council on Monday to discuss the impact of any deal on existing sites and jobs.
PSA said it would co-operate with IG Metall and the European works council to set out a path to forge a major European car-maker while safeguarding the future of Opel and its staff.
“Tavares communicated convincingly in the talks that he is interested in a sustainable development for Opel/Vauxhall as an independent company… Thus, we are ready to explore further the chances of a potential coming together,” European works council chief Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug said.
PSA plans to work closely with Opel unions, including IG Metall, to “find a path to the creation of a European champion with Franco-German roots”, the Paris-based company said in an e-mailed statement.
Germany accounts for about half of Opel’s 38 000 staff, while 4 500 are in Britain, where Opel operates as Vauxhall.