GM Europe has said its plans to outsource jobs at Opel in Germany are in accordance with the agreement it reached in March this year with the IG Metall union.

The company has reported it is to transfer 350 Opel workers from their jobs at plants in Bochum, Kaiserslautern and Ruesselsheim to an external supplier.

An Opel spokesman said outsourcing plans for 100 other workers at its Bochum plant have been put on hold until the end of November while the company holds negotiations with its unions.

  • Since GM Europe reached an agreement with its labour unions in March, promising no forced redundancies in return for lower wage increases and more flexible working hours, 4,500 Opel workers have accepted voluntary redundancy and 100 early retirement, contributing to a total of 9,000 lost jobs at the company.

    Some 2,700 jobs are being cut at the main plant in Ruesselsheim, 1,500 at the factory in Bochum and 300 at Kaiserslautern.