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IG Metall and Opel European Works Council meet with PSA Group

23 February, 2017As discussions on a potential acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall by the PSA Group continue, IG Metall and the Opel/Vauxhall European Works Council met with representatives from the French car manufacturer on 20 February.

The meeting highlighted a mutual desire for a dialogue in the interest of the future of Opel and its employees. Participants discussed the impact of the potential acquisition of Opel/Vauxhall by PSA on existing labour agreements, site protection and job guarantees.

PSA Group reaffirmed its commitment to respect the existing agreements in the European countries and to continue the dialogue with all parties. The Group announced that it is willing to closely cooperate with the European Works Council and IndustriALL German affiliate IG Metall, to “create together with Opel-Management a European Champion with French-German roots to protect the future of the company and its employees”.

Cooperating with IG Metall, while respecting and implementing existing collective agreements is an important condition for the further process. It is the basis for a possible merger on the employees' terms,

says Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall and IndustriALL Global Union.

Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug, Chairman of the Opel/Vauxhall European Works Council, says:

This commitment and the agreement of a further negotiation process provides the basis of further talks with PSA. Tavares communicated convincingly in the talks that he is interested in a sustainable development for Opel/Vauxhall as an independent company. 

IndustriALL's global framework agreement with the PSA Group has a clear commitment to international core labour standards and stresses the extension of the Group's requirements to its business partners. It was first signed in 2006 and will be renewed on 7 March this year.

With the renewal of the GFA we'll strive to secure all the jobs and production sites of PSA and Opel/Vauxhall worldwide,

says Valter Sanches, IndustriALL General Secretary.

The meeting on February 20 was attended by Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board of PSA, and Xavier Chéreau, EVP Human Resources of PSA, Jörg Hofmann, First Chairman of IG Metall, and Dr. Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug, Chairman of the Opel/Vauxhall European Works Council.