FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- Opel/Vauxhall, the European unit of U.S. automaker General Motors, said it will cut the hours of workers at two of its four German plants in response to a drop in demand for cars in Europe.
The struggling carmaker said on Thursday it would halt production for a total of 20 days at its main factory in Ruesselsheim and its engine plant in Kaiserslautern between September and the end of the year, confirming an earlier German media report.
"The European car market is declining substantially. Until recently, the decreased production schedules could be compensated by applying corridor shifts and accrued overtime," said Holger Kimmes, head of personnel at Opel/Vauxhall, in a statement. "Now short work is the right bridging measure."
In manufacturing, hours will be reduced by short-work shifts or short-work days starting in September, while cuts in the administrative and service functions will begin in October, the automaker said, adding that engineering jobs would not be affected.