Australian politician offers to buy Holden for a dollar

"General Motors acted with the ethics of a … purse thief," are just a few of the words of choice used by Queensland senator James McGrath when he Is addressed to the Federal Parliament, reiterating its position on GM's sudden announcement regarding the end of production and the closure of Holden. of 203 showrooms operated by 185 dealers in Australia. The senator accused General Motors of taking advantage of the global health pandemic to delay compensation negotiations with Holden dealerships, all of which will be gone by the end of the year. GM's official announcement was made in February of this year, but a few months later, and there doesn't seem to be a fair consensus as McGrath goes on to say, "And nothing I have heard from Holden dealers all over Australia since it changed my view or that of my colleagues in this Parliament. "

McGrath has spared General Motors CEO Mary Barra, claiming that she has a salary of tens of millions of dollars, but sends Australian families to the wall. He goes on to say that GM, under his leadership, used the coronavirus as a practical alibi, "putting the screw" on Holden's franchisees, demanding tight deadlines, unfair settlement agreements and stretching payments.

Referring to GM's presence in Australia since the early 1930s, McGrath said, "To put it bluntly, General Motors (tries) to sneak under the guise of COVID-19 to disappear overnight and leave businesses Australian women blocked after 89 years. one night shot. "

"General Motors may think the rich history of the Holden brand is worthless, but I think it is priceless. If General Motors (thinks) the brand is worthless, return it to Australia. Return it to Holden dealers. Indeed, I am happy to buy the Holden brand from General Motors for a dollar. I will mail Mrs. Barra a dollar to you and you can return the Holden brand to us and we will give it to the Holden dealers. "

GM responded to the allegations last week, stating that they were "baseless", "clearly untrue" and "unsupported by fact or law". Dealer claims would be based on an argument that GM has been secretly planning to close Holden since 2015, but has made various investments and strategies to support and promote the brand, making dealers believe that there were no secret plan to do so.