GM scraps Vauxhall sell-off plans
Updated on 04 November 2009
Workers at Vauxhall plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton face an uncertain future after General Motors slams the brakes on a plan to sell the UK car maker to Magna. Jon Sparks reports.
The US car giant was scheduled to sell off its Opel and Vauxhall brands but suddenly announced that it had scrapped those plans.
Union leaders hailed the decision as "fantastic". Tony Woodley, secretary general of Unite, said he was "absolutely delighted" by the company's announcement, which appeared to catch most people by surprise.
But Channel 4 News has learned that even before General Motors filed for bankruptcy this year, it had drawn up restructuring plans that could see three European factories axed and costs cut by almost a third.
