Delphi auto parts manufacturer to close Česká Lipa plant

The automotive parts manufacturer Delphi will be closing a cable production plant in the north Bohemian town of Česká Lipa due to low sales. Lay-offs have been underway for some time already in the plant; of the 3,400 jobs there in 2007 only 1,400 remain, with 300 positions having been done away with since the start of the year. According to a trade union representative, the company intends to move its production to Romania and partly to Poland. Several hundred people demonstrated in the plant’s car park on Monday to protest what they say are significantly low severance payments.