FRANKFURT, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Germany's DaimlerChrysler plans to cut 800 cable making jobs at its Mannheim trucks plant and shift to cheaper supplies from eastern Europe, the workers council said on Monday.
The job cuts, equivalent to about nine percent of jobs at the plant in southwestern Germany, will save the car and truck maker about 25 million euros (dollars). The workers council said the cuts were unavoidable as it was the only way to generate the savings.
"The workers cannot give up 80 percent of their wages," the head of the workers' council told Reuters.
A DaimlerChrysler spokesman confirmed the company was in talks with workers' representatives about the future of the cable-making operations at Mannheim but declined to give further details.
Several German carmakers and suppliers, seeking to cut costs amid tough economic conditions, are looking to outsource some operations and even shift production to lower-wage countries in eastern Europe and in eastern Germany to boost efficiency.