Talks to Resume in GM's UK Job Cut Plan

LONDON (Reuters) - Labour unions and General Motors Europe (GM.N) are to resume talks on Monday aimed at streamlining production at the carmakers' Ellesmere Port plant in Britain, but union officials were not confident of staving off job cuts.þþA spokesman for the Transport & General Workers Unionsaid more meetings with union leaders and the company were scheduled in Frankfurt later on Monday.þþHowever, union officials have said they are not optimistic about stopping the company's plans to cut nearly 1,000 jobs at the factory.þþGM has been in talks with unions over plans to streamline production of the Opel/Vauxhall Astra model.þþHowever, GM Europe President Car-Peter Forster said last week that proposals by unions to spread production cuts over other GM plants in Europe were ``not super-attractive.''þþWorkers at the plant in northwest England staged a spontaneous walkout in response to his comments last week, temporarily halting production.þþAny British job losses would follow last month's decision by French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen (PEUP.PA) to close its central England plant next year, eliminating 2,300 jobs, and the collapse of British carmaker MG Rover last year.þþ