GM Austria to Put Make Most Employees Part-Time

Vienna, Austria -- General Motors (GM Quote) in Austria said Wednesday it plans to put more than 1,500 workers on part-time work due to the recession.

The announcement reflects the malaise gripping General Motors in America and its German subsidiary, Opel.

GM spokesman Elisabeth Schuller said 1,540 workers at the GM powertrain plant in Vienna have been told they will be shifted to part-time basis from Jan. 19 through May 8.

If approved by the government agency overseeing the labor market, the move would leave only 310 assembly line workers on full-time basis.

The plant exports 90% of its output to Germany, with every second Opel having a transmission produced at the factory and every third Opel having an engine from the plant.