Dealers fear 15k job loss post GM exit

Protesting dealers of General Motors, which is exiting the Indian market, on Tuesday said that around 15,000 people would lose jobs due to the auto major’s move and the government should intervene in the matter.

Terming the automaker’s decision to stop selling cars in India as a “clearly thought out conspiracy”, the dealers along with their staff members demanded adequate compensation from the company.

“This is a clear case of conspiracy. The company just kept us in dark while they planned to close operations in India,” a dealer, who has dealerships in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, stated while protesting at Jantar Mantar here.

A dealer said the government gave all kinds of waivers GM when it set up shop and now when they are leaving like this, someone from the government should get hold of them.

There is a loss of around Rs 1,000 crore for the dealers and around 15,000 people employed at the facilities are going to lose their jobs, he said.

A majority of GM’s 96 dealers operate around 140 showrooms across India.

On May 18, General Motors suddenly decided to stop selling its vehicles in India as there was no turnaround in its fortunes here after struggling for over two decades to make a mark.