European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Vol. 50, no. 251gm cutbacks Friday december 20,1991 pm d 8693 a Here s a Brief look at Gmys restructuring plans for its North american  Plant closings pm will close six vehicle Assembly plants four powertrain plants and 11 component plants during the next few  Job cuts pm plans to Cut its North american salaried work Force to 71,000, about half the level of 1985, by the mid-90s. Pm is expected to Cut its hourly work Force to about 250,000, also half the 1985 level by 1995. Pm plans no hiring in 1992 except for special  products pm will consolidate vehicle platform design and improve Assembly flexibility to Cut spending. Pm crisis an Omen of new Era in trades amps by the los Angeles times general motors set off big signal flares wednesday when it announced a massive retrenchment that will reduce its Overall work Force by 71000 employees in the United states and Canada Over the next four years. In the immediate future economists and employment experts said it signalled that the economic downturn could deepen and extend worldwide. A companies in Germany and Japan and everywhere will see Gmys cutback and realize that they have to Cut Back themselves a said Lester Korn founder of Korn ferry International an executive placement company. A sense of profound change characterized Many reactions to Gmys announcement which said the company would close 21 plants and reduce office and managerial staff by 20,000. Gmys restructuring came against a backdrop of announcements from scores of major corporations in recent weeks. International business machines corp. See related Story on Page 2 announced a restructuring last month that May include unprecedented layoffs Xerox try Tenn co Mcdonnell Douglas and state governments around the nation Are reducing staff. Most of those Job cuts Are permanent a jobs arc being eliminated and employees terminated not merely Laid off pending an upturn in business. Still to be faced Are layoffs and cutbacks by All the smaller companies that depend on pm Anim by for business a suppliers and dealers metals and plastics producers advertising agencies and Media companies. Even though thousands of factory workers will lose their jobs the pm cutback is seen As part of what is called the a White Collar recession because jobs Are being eliminated in service industries and among office staff. The banking Industry for example has lost 25,000 jobs in the last year 300,000 jobs since 1984, with see pm on Page 2 decrees give Russia control Over soviet holdings mrs Row / and k _  n a Moscow apr russian president Boris Yeltsin has issued decrees taking Over the Kremlin Mikhail Gorbachev a staff and All soviet agencies except the ministries of defense and nuclear Energy according to a news report thursday. The inter fax news Agency also said All assets controlled by Gorbachev a office including hard currency would be taken Over by Russia. The decrees which Gorbachev had agreed to during a meeting with Yeltsin on tuesday were signed wednesday As part of Yeltsin a plan to shut Down All Central government operations by the end of the year inter fax said. The de crees said nothing about Gorbachev a political future. Yeltsin said thursday that a for All practical purposes Gorbachev has no future role in the government. The decrees All but buried the soviet Union which has slowly been dying since the failed hard line coup in August. Gorbachev tried to keep the Union together with a new treaty that would have maintained a Central government and Given the republics greater Independence. But most of the republics said they wanted to go their own Way while maintaining some economic and political ties. That concept began to take shape on dec. 8 when Russia the Ukraine and byelorussian announced that they had founded a Commonwealth and invited other republics to join. Six More republics Are to sign on this weekend at a meeting in Alma Ata the capital of Kazakhstan. Yeltsin a decrees did not say what plans had been made for the soviet ministries of defense and nuclear Energy and it was possible that these issues would be discussed at the Commonwealth meeting this weekend. As for Gorbachev the question was not whether he would go but when and How. He was quoted thursday by the Komsomol Skaya pravda newspaper As saying a i shall decide my destiny after the Alma Ata  Gorbachev has not been invited but is sending messages to All the Republic Lead cars in attendance asking that they clarify their positions on the Commonwealth and its new government structures.  gazeta quoting unidentified sources reported that Gorbachev 60, has written his resignation and left the Date open. The newspaper has frequently obtained internal government documents that proved legitimate. Humanitarian Aid to soviets to be coordinated by nato by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau Brussels Belgium a nato foreign ministers meeting thursday committed the nato Alliance to providing humanitarian assistance to the soviet Union. A in our View there is no better political signal that we could Send to the people of Russia and the other republics than to have nato play a role in coordinating Western humanitarian assistance a Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii said at the close of the North Atlantic Council meeting. In recent meetings with leaders of the russian led Commonwealth Baker said he was repeatedly told that Only a major humanitarian assistance Effort could stave off a social explosion in the soviet Union which is suffering under severe food shortages. A with Winters Onset the Public is extremely anxious Quot Baker reported. A they Are asking for our help they need our help and we should give it. Just what form the alliances help will take still must be worked out nato Secretary general Manfred Worner said. A it has to Deal with making available our logistical and infrastructural capabilities to get the humanitarian Aid and assistance to where it should arrive at. To help coordinating it. And there i think we have a machinery that no other organization has a Worner said. Natos senior civil emergency planning committee would Likely work with to military logistical structures to support the Relief Effort Baker said. Likewise its joint civil military medical Community could become involved in determining How to Best meet medical needs. During his meetings in the soviet Union Baker said he gathered names of local and City officials who can help ensure that the needed food clothing and medical supplies reach those people who most need it. Thursdays meeting of foreign ministers from the 16 a red the alliances help in disa weapons pm a tical weapons Baker said. Baker said be believed the nato nations also pledge mantling the soviets nuclear weapons particularly tac republics of Kazakhstan byelorussian and the Ukraine were willing to eliminate their weapons. A none of the three appear to be desirous of being a nuclear Power a Baker said a particularly byelorussian and the Ukraine where the memory of chernobyl is very very Strong and where nuclear accidents Are a very very Large political  Russia which is expected to assume the soviet unions position As the Center of government plans to maintain some nuclear capability. About 27,000 weapons Are divided among the four republics. The Alliance also had to work out details of How it can begin helping the former military giant disable and destroy its weapons. Its also possible that nato could be Given the $400 million appropriated by Congress for soviet disarmament Baker said. What a important Baker said is that a the first step has been taken. These republics that have nuclear weapons on their territory have agreed to engage with us fairly quickly on this  veil of secrecy lifted Patricia Bowman testifies during William Kennedy Smiths trial in West Palm Beach fla., earlier this month. Bowman who accused Smith of rape and whose identity was withheld by most news organizations has shed her anonymity with her decision to appear on abcs prime time live. See stories on Page 4