Long term safeguarding of Astra plants
Long-term safeguarding of Astra plants and plant in Antwerp by European Framework
Carl-Peter Forster, President of General Motors Europe, Klaus Franz and Rudi Kennes, Chairmen of the European Employee Forum (EEF) of General Motors Europe, signed a framework for the next-generation Astra/Zafira and a new SUV vehicle to be produced at the Antwerp plant in Belgium.
The Framework for the future Astra and Zafira plants gives guarantees for the production in Ellesmere Port (UK), Bochum (Germany), Trollhättan (Sweden) and Gliwice (Poland) for the whole lifecycle of the new models and will exclude any enforced redundancies.
In this contract a 3-shift operation, the capacity and the necessary investments are laid down. The local agreements which have been negotiated by the respective works councils and unions at the plants (for example for outsourcing measures) will become part of the framework.
The plant in Antwerp, Belgium, which had not been chosen for the next generation Astra will be safeguarded after the run out of the current Astra production by 2 models of a new generation SUV. This production will be exclusive for Europe. The current status of the volume planning which is 120.000 units per year is also laid down in the framework. In 2009 the plant will make a bid for an additional model.
The European Employee Forum (EEF) was able to achieve its most important demands in the negotiations: No plant closures and no enforced redundancies. The safeguarding of the Antwerp plant is a clear sign against the relocation of production to Eastern Europe and Asia.
European Employee Forum press release
