Germany: Sacked Opel worker appeals to Industrial Court

Immediately after the strike ended in autumn of last year, the GM subsidiary Adam Opel AG sacked storeman Richard Kaczorowski without notice, as well as Turhan Ersin, the latter a member of the factory works committee. Whereas Opel had to take its case against Ersin to court (Ersin was protected against instant dismissal by his position on the works committee), Kaczorowski was simply dismissed. It fell to Kaczorowski himself to initiate what has been a drawn-out legal appeal to establish the illegality of his sacking.

On October 14 of last year, the workforce at the Bochum factory laid down its tools and organised “informational pickets” after it was made known to the works committee, the union representatives and the media that Opel’s chief in Europe, Fritz Henderson, had made statements to the press threatening to shut down entire factories. The work stoppage lasted several days and led to a complete production standstill. It received the support of most of the population.

Read More
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/dec2005/opel-d20.shtml