Government inaction on auto industry

July 22, 2019

The government is failing Ontario’s auto industry by once again sitting on its hands after the Ford Motor Company announcement of a series of layoffs, says the Ontario Federation of Labour.

The layoffs will start with 185 jobs lost in September, with the possibility of more job losses in January 2020.

“Once again the government is leaving workers to pay the price for corporate greed. It is long past time for the PCs to take action to keep good jobs in Ontario.” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “Add the recent job cuts announcement to the closures and layoffs we’ve seen since the provincial election, and you can see the results of a government that chooses to leave thousands of families to struggle instead of doing the responsible thing and creating an auto/industrial strategy.”

Auto industry closures and layoff announcements since the election of the Conservatives in Ontario include the closure of the GM plant in Oshawa and layoffs at Fiat Chrysler in Windsor, as well as the most recent announcement of job cuts at Ford’s Oakville plant.

“Ontarians need decent work, but the government has done nothing more than reduced the number of well-paid, decent jobs in our province,” added Buckley. “Workers in Ontario are the majority; they have the power of many. The labour movement stands with them. Together we demand better from this government.”

The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.