- Title: GERMANY: BMW CAR PRODUCTION HIT BY STRIKING IG METALL ENGINEERING UNION WORKERS
- Date: 23rd June 2003
- Summary: (EU) MUNICH, GERMANY (JUNE 23, 2003) (REUTERS) WIDE OF EXTERIOR OF BMW HEADQUARTERS WITH BMW CARS SMV OF EXTERIOR OF BMW HEAQUARTERS WITH FLAGS (2 SHOTS) SCU SOUNDBITE (German) HEIKE MUELLER, BMW SPOKESWOMAN SAYING: "We have not received gear boxes for a few days from our suppliers in Berlin and Brandenburg meaning that as of this morning, production has been halted at the Munich and Regensburg plants. For now, no 3-series (BMW) cars are being built. At other plants in Regensburg, Landshut, Berlin and Steyr only a limited production is possible." VARIOUS, EXTERIOR OF PLANT (3 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 8th July 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MUNICH, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Industry
- Reuters ID: LVA19XCECK9Y5YPGRFUDEIPA8TGC
- Story Text: Strike actions in a dispute over working hours by engineering union workers in eastern Germany have hit major German carmakers such as BMW.
BMW on Monday (June 23) said the strike by IG Metall union members had stopped production at its Munich factory, where it builds 800 of its 3-Series cars per day and at Regensburg, where it makes 850 of the mid-sized cars. About 10,000 workers were affected.
"We have not received gear boxes for a few days from our suppliers in Berlin and Brandenburg meaning that as of this morning, production has been halted at the Munich and Regensburg plants", BMW spokeswoman Heike Mueller said.
"For now, no 3-series (BMW) cars are being built. At other plants in Regensburg, Landshut, Berlin and Steyr only a limited production is possible", Mueller said.
Volkswagen said it would have to halt production of its Golf and three-litre Lupo at its Wolfsburg plant on Friday due to a shortage of parts from eastern German factories.
On Monday, the strikes entered their fourth week and the engineering union IG Metall called on 9,000 workers to down tools at nine factories in the eastern states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony.
But IG Metall strike leader Hasso Duevel said the fact the union had not decided to extend the strikes signalled a desire to reach a deal.
According to IG Metall vice-president Juergen Peters, the union was ready to consider cutting the working week from 38 to 35 hours in stages and at varying speeds depending on the economic position of individual plants.
The German car industry accounts for 10 percent of total industrial output and hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Unemployment in the former east is about 20 percent. BMW has said that because of the strike it may reconsider the scale of an investment in the eastern city of Leipzig, where it is building a new factory which was due to create 5,500 jobs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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