The planned closure of the tool shop will cause the next conflict between management and the works council.
(Photo: dpa)
Munich In addition to the forge and the transmission plant, Opel also wants to close the tool shop (TDO) at its headquarters in Rüsselsheim by the end of the year. The projects in this area have steadily decreased in recent years due to the transformation of the automotive industry towards electric drives and more and more software in vehicles. “This trend is still evident,” said Opel on Wednesday, justifying the end of the department with currently 160 employees.
“Electric vehicles without a body?” The works councils now ask in astonishment in an internal leaflet to the workforce, which is available to the Handelsblatt. In their letter, the members of the IG Metall union resolutely reject Opel’s argument in favor of ending toolmaking. “The closure of the TDO is in no way directly related to the transformation of the automotive industry,” write the employee representatives.
In the future, electric cars will also have “bodies and chassis parts made of steel and sheet metal,” the leaflet says. Thanks to the high quality of the body in particular, Opel can clearly differentiate itself from the competition. “Today the toolmaking industry is able to produce high-quality pressing tools and systems for the body shell, but also body structural parts and chassis components,” emphasize the works councils.
The planned closure of the area would therefore be a “big mistake” from their point of view. The employee representatives are calling on Opel boss Uwe Hochgeschurtz to reconsider the planned closure of the area and to acquire new orders for toolmaking “inside and outside the group”. Otherwise, Opel would make itself dependent on “unstable supply chains” on the world market, say the unionists.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
IG Metall calls for a nationwide day of action
The management, on the other hand, no longer sees a future for toolmaking. Despite all efforts, from 2022 it will no longer be possible to ensure adequate capacity utilization in the department. It is therefore in the “interest of all employees” to implement the necessary measures in toolmaking in order to make the entire company future-proof.
As part of a nationwide day of action by IG Metall, thousands of Opel employees want to express their displeasure with the current course at Opel on Friday. The changes at the second oldest vehicle manufacturer in Germany after Daimler are extensive. For example, the subsidiary of the Stellantis Group wants to outsource the two German car assemblies in Rüsselsheim and Eisenach. The union also thinks this is a mistake and fears that Stellantis would like to diminish its influence.
More: Opel closes toolmaking in the main plant – works council speaks of “breach of contract”