CAW President Presses for Immediate Action to Stop Erosion of Canadian Auto Industry

OTTAWA, Nov. 2 /CNW/ - CAW President Buzz Hargrove met with federal Minister of Industry Jim Prentice this morning where he pressed the Conservative government to take immediate action on the growing loss of automotive jobs in Canada.

The need for quick action was highlighted again yesterday with the announcement of 1,100 new job losses at Chrysler in Brampton and Windsor, Ontario, adding to the 4,200 jobs to be lost as manufacturing operations at General Motors in Oshawa converge and downsize beginning this month. It is expected that thousands more jobs in auto parts production will also be lost as they scale back operations to compensate for the lost work.

While Hargrove urged the government to lower interest rates and stabilize the dollar, he stressed the need to deal with the unfair trade with Korea and Japan that is currently destroying the automotive industry.

"If you don't deal with the trade issue, you are going to see a lot more plants closing down and a lot more people being put out of work," said Hargrove.

While Minister Prentice fell far short of making any commitments, Hargrove advocated immediate government action and that the Canadian government pull out of free trade talks with Korea.

On behalf of the CAW, Hargrove has pledged to continue pressing the government for action on unfair trade and its dire consequences for Canadian workers and industry.

Source: CAW

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •