Thousands of British jobs have been put in jeopardy by plans to merge the European operations of the American carmaker General Motors with its Italian rival Fiat in a deal that would create the world's second-largest autos group.
According to The Guardian, Fiat's chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, held meetings today with Germany's economy minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, vice-chancellor and foreign minister, in an attempt to gain crucial financial support for a deal. The German government, however, wants any merged business to be based in Germany, where GM's loss-making Opel brand is headquartered, plus assurances of limited job losses. Unions fear that the 5,000 Vauxhall workers based in the UK will be sacrificed to retain continental workers so the deal gets a green light. ...
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