General Motors (GM) announced this Friday that it will reduce its production of vehicles in Canada as a result of the tariffs imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump, a decision that could suppose the disappearance of hundreds of jobs according to the Unifor union.
“The GM assembly plant in Oshawa will operate again with two shifts due to the planned demand and the commercial environment,” said GM Canada in a statement.
At this time the Oshawa plant, located about 60 kilometers east of Toronto, operates with three work shifts and produces the ‘pick-up’ check-up trucks heavy Duty Silverado and Chevrolet LD Duty Silverado.
“These changes will contribute to maintaining a sustainable manufacturing base, since GM is reoring the Oshawa plant to produce more trucks in Canada aimed at Canadian customers,” added the manufacturer.
For its part, the Unifor Canadian Union warned that the GM decision that, he said, will mean the elimination of 700 jobs in the plant and another thousand 500 in suppliers.
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GM reduces its car production in Canada by Trump tariffs
“We will not allow GM to use Canadian jobs as a currency to win the favor of Donald Trump. The cut of the third turn in Oshawa is an irresponsible decision that directly hits our members and threatens to have an impact on the entire network of auto parts suppliers,” said the president of the union, Lana Payne, in a statement.
“GM’s decision is premature and disrespectful: it is even advancing that Prime Minister (Mark) Carney and President Trump begin his conversations about a new economic agreement,” he added.
On Thursday, GM warned that this year tariffs imposed by Trump will cost up to 5 billion dollars and reduce their benifies.
The Financial Director of GM, Paul Jacobson, declared in a teleconference that the company has taken measures to compensate for 30% of the impact of tariffs and what “additional measures are being evaluated.”
Jacobson said that the GM principle is “to buy where we produce” and that the company, although already buys “basically” in the US, is working with its suppliers for more parts to come from local plants.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who won the general elections of the country on Monday, plans to meet in the next few days with Trump to initiate the renegotiation of the commercial and security relationship between the two countries.
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One of the most affected sectors will be that of the car that is one of the most integrated between the United States and Canada.
With EFE information
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