|
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 carmaker, sparking concerns in Germany
and Britain of job losses and demands for close collaboration
with labor leaders.
PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares met with representatives of
powerful German labor 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 cooperate with IG Metall and the European
works council to jointly set out a path to forge a major
European carmaker while safeguarding the future of Opel and its
staff.
Some existing labor agreements stretch beyond 2020.
"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 in the statement.
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 emailed
statement.
Germany accounts for about half of Opel's 38,000 staff, while
4,500 are in Britain where Opel operates as Vauxhall.
Two sources close to PSA told Reuters last week that job and
plant cuts were part of the tie-up talks, with the two Vauxhall
sites in Britain in the front line.
(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Edward Taylor and Mark
Potter)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
