Opel– Group boss Michael Lohscheller (52), according to a media report, prepares his employees for difficult tasks in the new year. “We all know that there are still a number of challenges to tackle – topics that we are discussing together with the works council and IG Metall,” Lohscheller wrote in a letter to the workforce from which the “Business Insider” quoted.
“This is particularly about the goals that have not yet been achieved in terms of downsizing and the new regulation of the Opel pension scheme.” Opel must remain competitive and “further improve its performance”, emphasized the company boss.
Background: Since the takeover of Opel by the French PSA group in 2017, thousands of employees have had to leave the car manufacturer with the lightning bolt in their logo. From an initial 19,000 employees, the workforce shrank to just 13,000 by the end of 2020. This was the only way PSA boss Carlos Tavares (62) succeeded in whipping up the ailing new daughter. For the first time in decades, Opel was back in the black under Tavares’ aegis.
Recently, however, the unrest at Opel has become louder. The downsizing has not yet been completed, and because not enough employees want to leave voluntarily, Opel had announced that it would break a taboo: termination would also be possible in order to achieve the goals, according to management. In doing so, Opel turned the IG Metall union against itself.