German Union Leader Says VW Should Apologize to GM

12/31/96

Reuters reports that Klaus Zwickel, chairman of German union IG Metall and a member of Volkswagen's supervisory board, has gone on the record to say that Volkswagen CEO Ferdinand Piech, should apologize to General Motors and settle the the bitter legal dispute that exists between the two carmakers.

VW and GM are embroiled in a legal battle over charges of industrial espionage. GM alleges that its former purchasing manager Jose Ignacio Lopez de Arriortua stole company secrets and delivered them to VW when he started working for the German carmaker.

Zwickel's comments appeared in an interview published in Sunday's Bild am Sonntag,

Zwickel said, "I would apologize and try to put a halt to this legal avalanche. It's high time that these two companies let themselves be ruled by their responsibilities to their organizations and not by legal tactics."

Zwickel also said, "the competition between the two companies has to be based on the quality of the products they make, not on the quality of their lawyers."

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel