German automotive group Opel, also heavily hit by the crisis, announced today that it will introduce the "short week" for thousands of employees starting in September. The measure will force employees to waive up to 6% of their net monthly compensation.
However, the Chairman of the Works Council (Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug) underlines that the introduction of this provision "guarantees the maintenance of jobs". While one of the members of the board of directors of Opel, Kimmes Holger, explained that the company is no longer able to compensate for production losses with extraordinary compatibility measures.
The measure of the reduction of working days will concern both the headquarters of one of the brands of General Motors, in Russelheim and the Keiserslautern factory.
The short week is announced on the very day on which the group celebrates the 150th anniversary of its foundation (the first Opel compact dates back to 1936, a good 76 years ago).
