MONTREAL – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has committed to a multi-year investment in assembling electric vehicles in Canada and to add up to 2,000 jobs, a union representing some of the carmaker’s workers announced yesterday.
The company has agreed to invest up to C$1.5 billion (RM4.7 billion) in southern Ontario’s Windsor plant as part of a tentative three-year deal with union Unifor, said the group’s national president, Jerry Dias, in a statement.
Under the deal, FCA’s investment will outfit the factory to assemble plug-in hybrids and battery-powered vehicles, with at least one new model in 2025, he said.
Up to 2,000 jobs will be added to the Windsor plant in 2024, according to the union, which comes after roughly 1,500 positions were cut at the factory earlier this year.
The Brampton assembly plant will also see a C$50 million investment, allowing additional models to be produced there.
Workers must still ratify the deal through a virtual vote set for Sunday and Monday.
The tentative deal is based on one struck with Ford workers in Canada, and includes a 5% pay bump.
Unifor plans to launch talks with General Motors next week to renew a deal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government and the province of Ontario last week announced investments of C$295 million each in a Ford factory billed as the largest electric vehicle plant in North America.
The three large North American groups, as well as Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda, have a total of 44,000 workers on assembly lines in Ontario, according to Unifor. – AFP, October 16, 2020
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