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GM's Russian Union Head Gets Threats

Police said Thursday they are looking into a series of threatening phone calls to the trade union leader at General Motors' new plant in Russia.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) -- Police said Thursday they are looking into a series of threatening phone calls to the trade union leader at General Motors Corp.'s new plant in Russia.

The threats made against Yevgeny Ivanov followed two attacks on the trade union leader at Ford Motor Co.'s plant, also near St. Petersburg.

Ivanov said he had received four anonymous calls in recent weeks and feared for his own safety and the safety of his wife and two young children. In one of the calls, the caller warned him to stop his trade union activities and noted that they knew where his child attended kindergarten, Ivanov said.

Police are taking the threats seriously and questioning employees at the plant, police spokesman Vyacheslav Stepchenko said.

GM spokesman Sergei Lepnukhov said the company needed to know more about the situation before it could comment.

The $300 million (euro228.82 million) plant opened in November, but GM is sharply cutting production as the economic crisis diminishes demand.

The city branch of the Russian Labor Confederation said the threats against Ivanov were especially worrying following the attacks on the local Ford trade union leader, Alexei Etmanov.

Etmanov was attacked twice in November, but both times was able to chase away his attackers.

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