General Motors Korea steps back on changing production shift

Union workers at GM Korea Co.'s regional plant said Monday that they were told the management will not insist on introducing a single work shift, a measure that eases fears of downsizing among employees. The carmaker is the South Korean unit of U.S. auto giant General Motors Co. which had announced late last year that it would not be selling Chevrolet-branded cars in Europe from 2016 onward. The decision instantly raised speculation that the automaker would start layoffs in Korea, a major production center for Chevrolet vehicles for GM. The GM branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU) said it received "assurances" from the management over the weekend that the company will look favorably on maintaining the current double shift production line at the Gunsan assembly line, located 274 kilometers south of Seoul.