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During that period GM began a restructuring, and the closing of Opel
Antwerp was proposed in 2009. The unions at Opel Antwerp unsuccessfully resisted these plans and in early 2010 the company definitively decided to close the factory, causing 2600 workers to lose their jobs. As chief union rep,
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Belgium's Dutch-language constituency. He was elected into the European Parliament on June 9, the first Marxist MEP from Flanders. The party maintained its seat from the French-language constituency, held by
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Kennes became the public face of the struggle to keep the factory open and was recognized as "
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in 1983. Between 2005 and 2011 he was chief union representative at Opel
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Between 2013 and 2018 Kennes served as municipal council member for sp.a in
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and between 2006 and 2011 Kennes was vice president of the
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In 1978 he began working at the large automobile factory
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Kennes was the
Workers' Party's lead candidate in the
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215:(born 22 July 1959) is a Belgian
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318:References
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121:1959-07-22
88:Willebroek
55:Parliament
352:De Morgen
223:Biography
97:In office
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