New Economic Trouble Brewing in the Ruhr Valley

A new wave of layoffs looms in Germany's industrial heartland, and unions are mobilizing for battle Deep in the heart of Germany's Ruhr Valley, a column of 25,000 angry blue-collar workers and their families has taken to the streets of Bochum, waving banners and red union flags, beating drums and blowing whistles.

This scene has been replayed often in the past four decades as one wave of jobs after another has left the Ruhr, Germany's industrial heartland. This time, unions and workers are venting their anger against a massive restructuring announced by General Motors Corp. on Oct. 14 that will slash the company's workforce by 12,000 in Europe, including an estimated 4,000 jobs in Bochum alone.

"This is a tragedy for the entire region," says Horst Krüger, a stocky, 46-year Adam Opel worker from Bochum. "We had coal, and then the mines closed. Opel came and gave people jobs. Now I don't see how we'll be able to replace the 4,000 jobs Opel wants to cut."

More here.