Bad news for Opel’s Bochum plant in Germany as General Motors has decided to allocate production of the next Astra, which is the brand’s second bestselling model after the Corsa, to its manufacturing plants in Ellesmere Port, UK and Gliwice, Poland.

GM said that it made the decision after the Ellesmere Port Vauxhall workforce approved a new labor agreement on Wednesday, which comes into force in 2013 and runs through the life of the next-generation Astra, into the early 2020s.

“As part of the agreement, the plant will implement a number of creative operating solutions to improve flexibility and reduce fixed costs and hence significantly improve its competitiveness,” said GM in a statement. “As a consequence, the Ellesmere Port plant will become one of the most competitive plants in the Vauxhall/Opel manufacturing network,” it added.

The Detroit carmaker plans to invest €156 million (US$199 million) in the Ellesmere Port plant and €144 million (US$183 million) in the Gliwice facility for upgrades and preparation for production of the new Astra that will launch in 2015. The company said it expects to create approximately 700 direct jobs in Ellesmere Port.

Opel and Vauxhall CEO, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, commented: “I am pleased that we were able to develop responsible labor agreements that secure the future of these plants. With the proven quality of the products built in Ellesmere Port and Gliwice, and the new agreements and the flexibility and cost competitiveness of these facilities, they will be cornerstones of our European manufacturing footprint.”

One of the problems with GM’s decision is that from 2015, the Rüsselsheim plant will lose the production of one of Opel’s most popular models. However, Stracke said that the company intends “to fully utilize” the plant beyond the run-out of the current Insignia and Astra.

“A competitive Rüsselsheim plant plays an important role in our growth strategy,” said Stracke. “It has an outstanding and highly capable workforce, and it delivers excellent quality.”

The other problem that stems from GM’s decision is that up until recently, the company’s execs had singled out Ellesmere Port and Bochum as the production facilities most likely to shut down. With the Ellesmere Port’s future now secured, the Bochum plant is in danger of closure.

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