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German Union: To Hold Opel Warning Strikes To Protest GM Move

FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Germany's powerful labor union IG Metall said Wednesday that workers at General Motor Co.'s German unit Adam Opel GmbH will hold warnings strikes to protest GM's decision to retain Opel and its U.K. sister automaker Vauxhall.

German Opel workers will hold protest strikes Thursday, while European-wide strikes are planned for Friday and Monday, the union said.

Opel's chief labor representative Klaus Franz earlier Wednesday expressed anger at GM's reneging on a tentative plan to sell a stake in Opel to a consortium led by Magna International Inc. (MGA).

"GM's next step will be to blackmail governments and workers in Europe to finance GM's unsustainable plan (for Opel)," Franz said, calling it "a black day for Opel."

Union Web site: www.igmetall.de

-By Sarah Sloat, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725521; sarah.sloat@ dowjones.com

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  11-04-090534ET
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