Fearing widespread layoffs, thousands of Opel workers walked off the job across Germany on Thursday to protest General Motors Co.’s decision to abandon the unit’s sale to new owners.
Their anger was echoed by German and Russian politicians, who had supported the now-scrapped sale of a majority in Opel to Canadian auto parts maker Magna International Inc. and Russian lender Sberbank.
Workers at Opel’s headquarters in Ruesselsheim vented their frustration and anger at a rally. One group carried a black coffin with the GM and Opel logos; others held placards such as “GM get lost” and “Hands off Opel.”
Organizers estimated that 10,000 workers attended, while police put the figure at 6,000. Smaller rallies were held at factories in Bochum, Eisenach and Kaiserslautern.
Separately, GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said the automaker could tap some of its $50 billion in U.S. government aid to help restructure Opel. Henderson said GM would first try to finance the $4.5 billion restructuring through other means.
