New York (AFP)

Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM), joined Tuesday the negotiating table with the car union UAW to end a strike that paralyzes the production of the car manufacturer in the United States since September 16, did one say learned from union sources.

Ms. Barra's presence raised the hope of reaching an agreement in principle as soon as possible, especially since she intervened the day after sending an encouraging letter to the UAW section presidents. national officials.

In this missive, they are asked to be physically present in Detroit on Thursday, said a union source, which is a sign that they should vote on an agreement ending the strike for a rise in wages and sustainability of jobs .

This information was well received on Wall Street, where the GM stock jumped 2.34% around 20:30 GMT.

Ms. Barra "is here but we do not have an agreement yet," warned Brian Rothenberg, a spokesman for the UAW.

Contacted by AFP, GM, owner of the brands Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick, did not wish to comment.

GM and the UAW resumed talks on Monday, after stalemating last week's rejection of the automaker's offer on temporary workers and job sustainability.

The negotiations were stumbling over the treatment of temporary workers who had worked for GM for at least four years.

The two parties would have found a compromise according to which these employees could be tenured after three years, according to a union source. It can not be ruled out that the duration chosen varies from the moment of finalization of an agreement.

Nearly 50,000 unionized US GM employees have been on strike since September 16 at the UAW's call. They are calling for salary increases and improving the situation of employees hired after the historic 2009 bankruptcy rescue by the Obama administration.

"Everyone is affected by the five-week strike," Bank of America analyst Merrill Lynch said.

For GM, which normally produces 8,400 vehicles per day in the United States, the production shutdown causes about $ 100 million in daily losses, experts calculate.

"We estimate the operating loss at $ 2 billion for GM," says Bank of America, while the shortfall is, according to the bank, more than $ 4,000 net per employee.

On Saturday, the UAW announced a $ 25 increase in the weekly compensation paid by the union to the strikers, to $ 275, and especially the authorization to work part-time elsewhere than at GM without seeing this envelope amputated, "to condition to help hold the pickets, "said the union in a statement.

In addition to GM and US employees, the strike also affects Mexican factories and the automaker's automotive component suppliers, such as the Magna Group.

© 2019 AFP