https://internationalviewpoint.org/ International Viewpoint, the monthly English-language magazine of the Fourth International, is a window to radical alternatives world-wide, carrying reports, analysis and debates from all corners of the globe. Correspondents in over 50 countries report on popular struggles, and the debates that are shaping the left of tomorrow. en SPIP - www.spip.net https://internationalviewpoint.org/local/cache-vignettes/L144xH25/siteon0-da713.png?1745245334 https://internationalviewpoint.org/ 25 144 https://internationalviewpoint.org/The-automotive-industry-will-be-at-the-heart-of-the-coming-economic-crisis https://internationalviewpoint.org/The-automotive-industry-will-be-at-the-heart-of-the-coming-economic-crisis 2019-11-07T09:11:32Z text/html en Winfried Wolf Economy <p>Since mid-2019, we have been living through the prelude to a deep crisis in the most important industrial sector of global capital. The automobile industry, the leading manufacturing sector of capitalism, is facing a crisis. By 2018, total car production in Germany was declining. In June 2019, there was a sharp 4.7% drop in new registrations (compared to June 2018). In August, manufacturers producing in Germany alone announced the loss of more than 30,000 jobs. The contradiction in Opel is typical. This subsidiary of the French group Peugeot is finally back in the black. But at what cost? In terms of employment, the numbers are dark red. Since the takeover by PSA [in February 2017], 8,000 jobs have been eliminated at Opel, which corresponds to 25% of the total; the reduction of 2,500 additional jobs is envisaged, as well as the closure of one of the three production sites.</p> - <a href="https://internationalviewpoint.org/-IV538-November-2019-" rel="directory">IV538 - November 2019</a> / <a href="https://internationalviewpoint.org/+-Economy-+" rel="tag">Economy</a>