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Today, the employees of General Motors Europe are demonstrating their determination to secure a reliable future perspective for their jobs and their company. Workers have mobilised fully at all Opel, Saab and Vauxhall sites in Europe to take part in this coordinated Action Day.
Catch the latest at the GM Workers' Blog!
The European Metalworkers’ Federation fully supports their actions and demands - see EMF home page for further details: www.emf-fem.org.
The success of today’s action shows that long-standing trade union coordination, that includes trade unions and workers’ representatives from all countries concerned, has huge added value for concerted action and policy within multinational companies. It is indeed paramount in the current crisis that a Europe-wide coordinated strategy be followed. General Motors Europe, with the “European Employees Forum” (EWC), is just one example of this strategy and the ways this can pay off. European Works Councils are furthermore extremely important bodies for making European social policy work.
It is now up to the company management and governments to do their part of the work. A coordinated action plan, avoiding protectionist attitudes, has to be put together. Regional authorities will also have an important role to play in finding a solution for Opel, Saab and Vauxhall. “What is needed is a concerted solution, a coherent solution for all the regions involved”, said Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary. “A short-sighted initiative, following the protectionist push we have seen over the past few weeks, will not improve the situation for the companies and the workers.”
It is in times of crisis that Europe must show that it is able to stand together. Today, the workers of General Motors Europe have shown the way forward. Governments and politicians now have to follow that path instead of looking for easy and populist national solutions.
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PRESS 9/2009
The EMF is the representative body defending the interests of workers in the European metal industry. The EMF has a mandate for the external representation and coordination of the metalworkers' unions and a mandate to engage in bargaining at European level.
For further information please contact:
Editor, Peter Scherrer, EMF General Secretary
Wolf Jäcklein, Policy Advisor +32.2.227 1057
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PRESS 9/2009
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