While the German auto sector has been multiplying appeal to partial unemployment, the Opel car manufacturer, German subsidiary of general motors Europe, is in turn about to reduce working time. GM Europe's management announced, on January 12, 2009, that it concluded with its European works council a framework agreement on the reduction of working time, valid for all of the group's European sites. In exchange, GM Europe promised not to appeal to mass layoffs and not to close any site in Europe. (Ref. 090045)
According to Klaus
Frank, both chair of GM Europe’s European Employee Forum and of Opel’s works
council, this framework agreement defines “single minimum standards for the
reduction of working time for all European sites”. It provides that working
time reductions, sabbaticals and partial unemployment will partly be paid by
GM. Thus, according to Mr. Franz, the car manufacturer will pay 12.5% of the net salary of employees
sent to partial unemployment, added to the benefits received for partial
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