Global Courant 2023-05-13 20:35:04
The union representing thousands of Windsor car workers says Stellantis and the federal government must stop playing a “high stakes game” that bets on workers’ livelihoods.
Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, says both parties must keep their promises. For the federal government, this represents a commitment to making Canada an attractive place to invest in the electric vehicle battery sector. For Stellantis, this means an EV battery factory in Windsor that will create more than 2,500 jobs. The factory is already under construction and will open next year.
“Every shortcoming has to end and a deal has to be made, because hell or high tide, no promised manufacturing jobs are leaving this country,” said Payne.
“Unifor and our members will hold the government to its word not to leave any workers behind, just as we will hold Stellantis to the company’s promises at Windsor.”
Car manufacturer Stellantis and LG Energy Solution threatened on Friday evening with “contingency plans”. Stellantis said the federal government has not fulfilled its commitments in the negotiations. Chrystia Freeland, Treasury Secretary, said Ottawa is working “very, very hard” on those negotiations.
This comes on the heels of Ottawa’s $13 billion bid to Volkswagen to build their plant in St. Thomas, Ontario, announced earlier last month. In March, it was revealed that Ottawa’s contribution to the Windsor plant would be $500 million.
US federal law promises billions of dollars over the next decade to incentivize companies to build EV factories on their territory, a competitive advantage that was reflected in the Ottawa Volkswagen deal.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a statement Saturday morning that “the entire deal is now under discussion because the federal government is failing to meet its commitments, jeopardizing not only the EV plant but also our efforts to raise additional investment in attract the region.”
More to come.
Government and Stellantis play high-stakes
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