The Opelans want to fight

"Workers do not believe this advice and PSA a word more." With these drastic words, the head of the company committee Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug expressed the growing mistrust of the workforce against management. The atmosphere of Opel's parent plant has been poisoned since "The World" reported on PSA's strategic plans for strategic partnerships and partial sales of the Opel development center in Rüsselsheim. A meeting of short-term staff could not lessen the excitement. On the contrary, the refusal of Opel boss Michael Lohscheller fueled the fire. "The workforce is indignant.There is an absolute lack of understanding that plans are not presented openly and transparently," complained Schäfer-Klug.

Development is at the heart of Opel, said the employee representative.Now, some have feared a mbadive sale. "It is feared that the Opel brand will survive this operation if it came." Sales plans deal with areas key to the development of vehicles, powertrain, test benches and tool making.The plans are quite concrete. "It will be difficult to reach an agreement," said Schäfer-Klug. He announced a protest: "The staff is quite combative. She defends herself.

The collective agreement is fixed

The company committee will examine the question of the strategic partnership after the three-week vacation and the conclusion of the collective agreement which must serve as a basis for the restructuring plans. Schäfer-Klug badumes that the contract will be signed this week. A spokesman for Opel said that a split in the collective agreement is scheduled for Friday.

Automotive professor Ferdinand Dudenhöffer of CAR Research Center Automotive Research of the University of Duisburg-Essen fears that the brand will lose its independence after the sale of the development center will be. "It seems like the boss of PSA, Carlos Tavares, follows the motto: The value of Opel lies in the 1.2 million buyers of vehicles and not in development or production," writes Dudenhöffer in a recent badysis of Opel. The sale of large parts of the development center is therefore for Tavares only a step of logical rehabilitation. It must be badumed that this will not be the last action to improve profitability, so Dudenhöffer. "Opel is evolving into a kind of commercial service with connected production and mini-development."

The oath of allegiance of PSA's boss Tavares on the quality of German cars now looks pretty hollow, said several Opelaner in front of the factory gates. The Franco-Portuguese had removed the velvet gloves at the time of the takeover talks and were now trying to rub at Opel in the same way as he practiced it in the Peugeot group. It has strong arguments in this sense: the brands of the French group Peugeot, Citroën and DS have made their tough restructuring strategy a success. Four years ago, the PSA group had to be rescued by the French state and the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng. Today, the group has become clumsy again.

Rosskur as project

In addition to this, sales figures have increased dramatically. In France, Peugeot has almost caught up with Renault. On the German market, Peugeot has recently caught up. Last year, the French brand sold 25% more cars, while Opel stagnated in this country. In the first half of 2018, the brand with the lion symbol improves sales by a good 13 percent. Opel loses seven percent at the same time. The Rosskur with factory closures and job cuts, which prescribed the 59-year-old PSA, has been successful – and should now serve as a model for Opel. Some hope, others fear it.