FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Commerzbank employees and a prominent labour union on Friday called on the German government to oppose a takeover of the German lender by Italy's UniCredit. The joint statement from the Commerzbank works council and the Verdi union marks the starkest opposition yet by employee representatives of a possible tie-up between the two banks.

The government said it won’t offload any additional shares in the bank following the sale to UniCredit for €702 million. The move marks an U-turn for the government.

Germany will not sell any more shares in Commerzbank for the time being and the bank's strategy is "geared towards independence," the nation's finance agency said on Friday.

UniCredit SpA has demonstrated at its existing German unit that it can cut costs in the country, which bodes well for its potential plans for Commerzbank AG, analysts at KBW wrote in a note.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Italy's UniCredit said on Wednesday that it had acquired a 9% stake in Germany's Commerzbank and will "explore value creating opportunities for all stakeholders in both banks".

By Tom Sims and Christian Kraemer FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Commerzbank employees and a prominent labour union on Friday called on the German government to oppose a takeover of the German lender by Italy's UniCredit as workers fear massive job losses if a deal goes through.

Opposition within the German government to a potential takeover of Commerzbank by UniCredit is solidifying, amid anger at the way the Italian bank acquired its 9 per cent stake and concern over potential macroeconomic risks a merger might pose to the German economy.

UniCredit was able to buy 4.5% of Commerzbank from the German state because the government trusts the Italian bank, its CEO said in a newspaper interview, ruling out any "aggressive" moves such as an unsolicited buyout bid.