MERCEDES-BENZ in Vance, Alabama replaced the head of the company in the United States on Thursday in an effort to stop workers from voting to be represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. 

The removal of chief executive Michael Gobel comes as the UAW steps up its organising campaign across non-union car plants in the US.

More than 6,000 workers are set to vote on union representation from May 13-17 at the German-owned company.

A senior official of the UAW told the Morning Star: “Union-busting at the Vance site has been intense but the workers are staying strong. The removal of the chief excutive fools nobody.”

The UAW official said that “this ’give us another chance’ approach is straight out of the union-busting manual.”

Mercedes-Benz announced that Mr Gobel would step down with 24 hours notice and would be replaced by Federico Kochlowski, a company vice-president.

Workers have filed charges against the company, accusing it of “aggressive and illegal union-busting.”

Jeremy Kimbrell, a volunteer organising committee member at the Alabama factory said: “In two weeks, Mercedes workers will show we’re not easily fooled and will end the ‘Alabama discount’ by voting to unionise.”

The “Alabama Discount” refers to the lower wages at non-union car plants across the state and the rest of the US south.