Further downsizing at Opel Opel to close tool shop in Rüsselsheim

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The car manufacturer Opel is cutting more jobs. About 260 jobs are affected by the closure of the tool shop at the main plant in Rüsselsheim/Germany. Employees and the works council want to defend themselves against the shrinkage.

Germany – Whether at Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Ford, or Stellantis: car manufacturers are among the largest toolmakers worldwide. At the car manufacturer Opel, a subsidiary of Stellantis, another department is now being closed. Contrary to earlier announcements, the toolmaking department at the leading German plant in Rüsselsheim near Frankfurt/M., which employs around 260 people, will be phased out at the end of the year, according to the company's management.

Opel is the only German brand in the European auto group Stellantis, formed at the beginning of the year from Peugeot parent PSA and Fiat-Chrysler. Thousands of jobs have been cut since PSA took over in August 2017. In a leaflet to the workforce, the works council spoke of a breach of contract because the company had promised to maintain around 160 jobs in the division just four months ago. In addition, investment promises from the future collective agreement concluded with IG Metall were again not being followed.

In the current case, Opel also wants to persuade employees to leave the company as part of the agreements with the union. An Opel spokesman said that the company had taken all reasonable measures to maintain an appropriate balance between capacity utilization and staffing needs at the tool shop. Further talks are now being held with the works council. Early October, the management in Germany announced that the company was on course for growth and had increased its market share in its home market to over 6.7 percent.

The background to the dispute: at the beginning of 2020, Opel agreed with employee representatives to build the Astra compact car again at the main plant in Rüsselsheim and extend the protection against employee dismissal until mid-2025. In return, the works council and union agreed to cut up to 2,100 jobs in Germany by the end of 2021 through voluntary measures such as partial retirement, early retirement, or severance pay. According to other media, too few volunteers had been found for this, which is why Opel management has increased the pressure in recent months.

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