Opel Workers In Walkout To Protest GM Move Not To Sell Firm

November 5, 2009 9:49 p.m. EST

Berlin, Germany (AHN) - Thousands of workers of Opel walked out of their jobs Thursday to protest the decision of General Motors, the firm's mother company, not to sell the German firm.

The workers at Opel's plants in Bochum, Eisenach, Kaiserslautern and Ruesselsheim picketed outside the gates of the factories.

The walkout and pickets were sparked by fears of retrenchment as GM changed its mind in the last minute from selling Opel to Canadian auto parts supplier Magna and the Russian lender, Sberbank.

Opel unions vowed to opposed wage cuts that GM plans to impose and to stage a strike in protest against the sale of the car firm.