Washington - General Motors Corp continued negotiations Saturday with the United Auto Workers, and production continued at GM plants without a labour contract. A four-year pact between the largest US carmaker and the largest union representing autoworkers had expired at midnight Friday.
Reports from the negotiation table suggested that progress was being made, and that a brief contract extension might be agreed to allow talks to continue under eased pressure.
Al Benchich, president of a UAW local in Michigan, told the Bloomberg financial news agency that he believed "significant progress" was being made in the negotiations being held in Detroit, the centre of the US auto industry.
"There are still some issues that they are apart on," he said.
Financially troubled GM, which has lost more than 11 billion dollars in the last three years, is asking the UAW for concessions that would help the company save money on its towering costs to pay for the health care of retired workers.
Negotiations have been underway for nearly two months.
