German car company Opel, which owns Vauxhall, blames Brexit as it wields axe to slash workers’ hours
A GERMAN car company has pointed the finger of blame at Brits as it wielded the axe on thousands of European staff.
Opel Group, which owns Vauxhall, is cutting staff hours in two of its German factories in the aftermath of the historic vote.
Around 5,000 workers at Opel’s production centres in Eisenach and Russelsheim will see their hours cut as a result of the decision – and the firm claims it is all Britain’s fault.
The company said it was recording a slip in demand for the Vauxhall Corsa and Vauxhall Insignia models.
The UK is the biggest market for both of the affected models, with the Corsa currently standing as second most popular car after the Ford Fiesta.
But the fall in the pound which followed the decision of Brit voters to leave the EU made imported cars more expensive, while giving a boost to UK exporters.
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Opel said in a statement: “We can confirm that there will be short-time work in the plants in Ruesselsheim and Eisenach during the course of this year.”
The statement went on to say the number of days that shorter hours would apply to would depend on the number of Corsa and Insignia cars sold in the UK.
The company added: “The Brexit situation is an issue for everybody who does business in and with the UK at the moment and we already announced last month that there will be an impact on our
European financial performance if the value of the pound remains at its current level for the rest of the year.”
In the run up to the vote, Opel warned Brexit would cost the company £305million.
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