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Since his campaign for the 2016 election, Donald Trump has made the protection of production and US industrial jobs a priority. It's in the name of his eternal slogan "America First" ("America first"), that the White House had embarked on a showdown with its biggest trading partners, with tariffs, in the spring. The announcement on Monday of thousands of job cuts by the country's largest automaker, General Motors (GM), particularly in the US and in de-industrialized areas that supported Trump in 2016 (Ohio, Michigan), has not want to annoy the American president.
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"I spoke with her and expressed the fact that I was unhappy with her decisionTrump told reporters Monday afternoon about his conversation with the group's executive director, Mary Barra. You know, the United States saved General Motors, and pulling the company out of Ohio is a bad thing. " With the help of public funds, the American state had indeed flown to the rescue of the car giant, which, crippled with debt and in the midst of the financial crisis, had been bankrupted in 2009. The bailout had led to the provisional nationalization. GM, the US state holding 60% of the capital. The Treasury eventually sold its last shares in General Motors in December 2013.
Cure for slimming
The first US car manufacturer will stop production at seven sites in 2019: four in the United States (Ohio, Michigan and Maryland), one in Canada (Oshawa) and two outside North America, not yet publicly designated to this day. GM justifies this weight loss plan to generate a $ 6 billion economy and gain competitiveness in a rapidly changing industry. "The steps we take today allow us to continue our transformation to be more agile, resilient and profitable, said Mary Barra in a statement. We recognize that we need to anticipate market changes and consumer tastes so that our business is well positioned. " The company says it wants to focus on the production of electric and autonomous vehicles.
The group did not give a numerical indication of the exact number of posts concerned, but the Associated Press mentions the suppression of 14,000 jobs in North America – 8,000 executives, a quarter of the total white-collar workers, 3,300 workers in Canada and 2,600 workers in the United States. Some of these would be offered the opportunity to move to other more profitable and demanded truck or pick-up plants, which GM wants to increase production. At the expense of city cars like the Chevrolet Cruze, manufactured in Lordstown (Ohio), whose DG GM has announced the end of production for March. This restructuring is in line with developments in the North American automotive market. In October, over 65% of new vehicles purchased in the United States were trucks or pickups, up from 50% just five years ago.
Customs fees
Other US automakers could make comparable ads. Ford has already said it will remove executive jobs, and Toyota would also discuss savings. For GM GM, it's about taking action "As long as the company is doing well and the economy is strong". At a press conference on Monday, Mary Barra also noted that the builder had paid the tariffs on steel and aluminum, results of the protectionist policy of Donald Trump, without baderting that they were at the origin of the restructuring. "It has nothing to do with the rates, maintained the US president in front of reporters. [Mary Barra] told me that the Chevrolet Cruze was not selling."
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In a statement, the UAW (United Auto Workers) Automobile Union echoed presidential rhetoric: "This unjust decision by GM to reduce or stop production in US factories, while starting or increasing production in factories in Mexico or China and then selling to US consumers, is a deeply damaging way of doing things for employees. US ", said Terry Dittes, head of UAW for GM. Detroit-based union threatens to challenge automaker's decision "Using all legal, contractual and collective means of negotiation" at his disposal.
The announcement of the cessation of production at the Oshawa (Ontario, Canada) site, which employs 2,500 people and produces the Impala and Cadillac models, also promptly responded to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "For generations, GM workers have been the heart and soul of Oshawa, he said on Twitter. We will do everything we can to help target families get back on their feet. Yesterday, I spoke to GM's Mary Barra to express my deep disappointment at the closure of the plant. "
For generations, GM workers have been the heart and soul of Oshawa. We will do everything we can to help target families get back on their feet. Yesterday, I spoke to GM's Mary Barra to express my deep disappointment at the closure of the plant.
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 26, 2018
Isabelle Hanne correspondent in New York
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