General Motors (GM) has recently started to use its office workers in a creative way: due to staff shortages in the factories, the staff is temporarily exchanging their desk for a production line. The unions are not happy!
Like many other brands, GM is struggling with the restart of production after the lockdown due to the corona virus. For example, a large part of the factory workers cannot get to work because of the corona virus. In order to resume production, GM has asked its staff who would like to work in one of the factories. According to spokesman Jim Cain, office workers can therefore voluntarily opt for this temporary job switch, Automobiel Management reports.
According to Cain, dozens of people have signed up. The American emphasizes that everyone naturally receives the necessary training. In addition to the office workers, skilled workers are circulated between different factories and GM is looking for temporary workers it can hire, but that takes time. The United Auto Workers union disagrees with GM’s choice to deploy office workers in the factories. It has therefore “raised serious objection”.