EVWire brief: Unifor warns GM: Attempt to remove equipment from CAMI plant and workers will seize the facility.
More than 1,100 laid-off workers at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario are prepared to take dramatic action if General Motors attempts to remove machinery from the site.
Unifor Local 88 Chair Mike Van Boekel says members are ready to occupy the plant to prevent any equipment from being taken out, calling it essential to protecting the plant’s future.
GM recently shut down production of the BrightDrop electric delivery van due to weak demand, triggering the layoffs, and the union fears that removing machinery could signal a long-term shutdown.
Van Boekel says the union’s stance is “crystal clear”:
“Nothing comes in and nothing goes out. If they try to remove even one single thing from the plant, we are ready to take over.”
Unifor posted this message publicly on its website, noting that members would refuse to leave the facility to prevent equipment from being removed. The union believes this is necessary to keep CAMI from being mothballed.
Image: CTV News
On Tuesday, Van Boekel met with Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Secretary of State for Labour John Zerucelli, and Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie. He described the meeting as productive and said Joly told GM to return with a commitment for the plant’s future.
GM Canada responded that it has “no intention at this time to remove manufacturing equipment” and said it is focused on supporting workers and evaluating opportunities for CAMI.
Van Boekel said the union is prepared for a legal fight and will occupy the plant until a path forward is secured. He added that workers want GM and the federal government to collaborate on new investment or products for the facility.
Oxford MP Arpan Khanna also requested an update from Minister Joly on the situation, following her earlier expectation that GM provide a full update within 15 days.
CAMI remains one of Canada’s key EV manufacturing sites, and its future is uncertain following the BrightDrop production pause. With union pressure and political scrutiny increasing, the plant’s fate is becoming a major point of tension in Canada’s EV sector.
Source: CTV News
EVwire will keep an eye on the further developments around the CAMI plant.
