Car maker: PSA intervenes at Opel – 2019 threatened short-time working in Rüsselsheim

Protests against sales plans at Opel

In particular, workers are opposed to the sale of parts of the International Technical Development Center (ITEZ) to service provider Segula in November.

(Photo: AP)

DüsseldorfThe message is short, intended only for a small circle and unusually frills formulated. Your author comes to the point immediately. Already in the first sentence, PSA chief of staff Xavier Chereau ordered on September 10 in an “Organizational Announcement” a complete reorganization of personnel matters at the French automaker. According to this, since then, PSA in every European country can only have one central responsibility for the interests of employees across all brands.

The previous double structure, in which the German daughter Opel largely independent of Peugeot and Citroën acted, dropped. Anke fields for Opel As a director of employment, she loses the hierarchical personnel responsibility in core markets such as Great Britain, Spain and France to Xavier Chereau. This is evident from the internal PSA paper available to Handelsblatt.

The changes are significant. It is about the reporting authority of a quarter of the more than 30,000 employees of Opel. “One has sawn away fields one of four chair legs,” it says in company circles. That equates to a “disempowerment”, four insiders told the Handelsblatt independently.

Background of the action: PSA boss Carlos Tavares is considered a great centralist. One and a half years after the takeover of Opel, the Portuguese with a French passport is now dragging the German subsidiary closer and closer to the headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison near Paris via matrix organizations.

Matrix structures have already been established for the areas of human resources, purchasing, public policy and legal affairs. Now follow other units. For example, the management of Opel will be reduced from six to five people. Rémi Girardon, previously production manager at the brand with the lightning, changes back to France, As of January 1, 2019, the engineer will take over the management of all engine plants in the PSA network.

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As the Handelsblatt last week confronted Opel with research, the company goes on the offensive. In a press release, the company announces that Antonio Cobo, who currently manages the Opel plant in Zaragoza, Spain, will in future be responsible for the production of Opel at all production sites. Unlike Girardon, however, Cobo will not be part of Opel’s management, he only has the title of Vice President.

By taking the step to downsize the top management level in Rüsselsheim, Opel loses again a piece of its independence, it is said in group circles. The result: Opel frontman Michael Lohscheller could hardly make independent decisions with his team. This is problematic and inevitable at the same time. Because PSA boss Tavares is in a dilemma.

PSA boss Tavares is in a dilemma

On the one hand, the integration of Opel into the group of companies is “the prerequisite for survival” of the traditional German brand, which is stated in business circles. It is important to raise as quickly as possible the synergy effects of more than one billion euros per year envisaged in the restructuring plan “Pace”. On the other hand, it is clear: “The brand identity of Opel can not be developed in France.”

Either way, the Franco-German car can not afford to lose time with a navel. Even under the reign of PSA, sales decline at Opel continues unabated. From January to October, the Rüsselsheim could only 813,000 cars in Europe Selling. This is six percent less than in the comparable period of the already weak previous year.

Worse yet, sales in the light commercial vehicle segment are also down. In the first ten months of 2018 Opel sold only about 71,000 vehicles in this segment. That is a decline of twelve percent compared to the previous year. Opel boss Lohscheller actually dreams of growing by 25 percent by 2020 in this “underestimated area” with new models such as the Combo or Vivaro.

So far, however, demand is weak. This increasingly causes concern – especially at the headquarters in Rüsselsheim. Here Opel manufactures the Zafira and its flagship Insignia. But the company had to adjust its production plans for 2019 by about 10,000 units down, it says in corporate circles.

“Of course, we regularly adjust the production planning in our plants to the current market forecasts,” said an Opel spokesman.

According to Handelsblatt information, the personnel surplus in production in Rüsselsheim adds up to more than 600 employees with a view to the coming year. “We are heading for massive overcapacities,” according to group sources.

For a long time management has been considering countermeasures. There is short-time work in the room as well as the idea of ​​switching from two-shift to one-shift operation in Rüsselsheim. “Pure speculation,” replies an Opel spokesman. One thing is certain: to relax the situation, a new model in Rüsselsheim is urgently needed – Opel management and employees are in agreement. Alone: ​​So far, the commitment from France is missing.

The mood in the workforce is irritated. Last week Hundreds of Opelans took to the streetsto appeal against the partial sale of the development center ITEZ the French service provider Segula to demonstrate. Opel boss Lohscheller wants to outsource 2000 of its 7,000 engineers in Hesse to Segula, in order to curb the overcapacities in the ITEZ. But the union and many workers reject this plan.

Michael Lohscheller

The Opel frontman and his team will hardly be able to make independent decisions in the future.

(Photo: Bloomberg)

The IG metal calls for a right of return for the Opelaner in the event of a transfer of business. The employee representatives fear that Segula may lack solidity. Because the French group has losses in some companies.

As a whole, Segula Technologies as a whole, but profitable, the company assures. This can only be checked conditionally. The family business publishes neither balance sheet nor organization chart for the entire group.

In order to promote the plans of Segula, Germany governor Martin Lange traveled with seven confidants to Rüsselsheim on 15 November. At a meeting with the 70 most important Opel executives in the ITEZ, the Segula managers presented their business plan. “In Rüsselsheim, the heart of an integrated engineering network is being developed,” says the multi-page presentation available to Handelsblatt.

Opel boss Lohscheller advertises for understanding

Accordingly, Segula aims to become a “general developer for vehicles”. Sales in Germany According to internal papers, the group intends to increase from 230 million euros in 2019 to 420 million euros by 2023. That would be a growth of 83 percent within four years. Profitziele does not mention Segula, but notes that there should be no redundancies until 2023 and a “(house) collective agreement” in view.

The first talks with the IG metal were “constructive”, explained a Segula spokeswoman. But it is clear: For the trade unionists, only a collective wage agreement in question, a house collective agreement, however, they reject categorically.

Number of the day

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Cars less than planned, Opel will produce in the coming year. Source: Company

Outside Germany, it is also seething at Opel. Due to the lack of successor orders, more than 400 jobs in the transmission and engine plant in Vienna-Aspern will wiggle over the next few years, according to group sources. The reduction of 140 jobs in 2019 is already fixed. After that, more could follow. Opel refers to a “future agreement” for the location.

At a Townhall meeting in early December Opel boss Lohscheller called for understanding of the recovery plan: “Pace” work. He referred to the half-year operating profit of 505 million euros. With the “Volks-Elektroauto” – the current version of the Corsa – Opel also wants to attack from 2019 again. Occasionally Lohscheller got applause for it, report participants. The boos would have outweighed.

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