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Montreal—Unifor members, including workers from the PACCAR plant in Sainte-Thérèse, gathered this morning in front of the Premier’s office to demand immediate support measures and a clear directive to prioritize local purchasing within the public sector.
This mobilization comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that 300 workers at the PACCAR plant were being laid off. These latest layoffs come after 175 members were laid off in July and another 250 jobs were lost in December related to the closure of the evening shift. In less than a year, the total number of layoffs now stands at approximately 725.
Unifor is calling on the Quebec government to immediately use the tools at its disposal to prioritize the purchase of trucks manufactured in Quebec by state-owned corporations, ministries, municipalities, police forces, and other public agencies in order to stabilize production and preserve industrial know-how. These measures would help to quickly replenish PACCAR’s order book and protect jobs.
“The message is simple: the government must act now,” said Unifor Quebec director Daniel Cloutier. “If we lose sales in the United States, we must do everything in our power to replenish our order books here through local purchasing and targeted support measures. Every day counts if we are to prevent long-term job losses. We must protect the precious industrial know-how that we have built up over decades.”
Unifor is also urging the federal government to follow the example of the automotive sector and implement reciprocal import quotas in Canada for Paccar’s Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF trucks. This measure would allow trucks manufactured in Quebec to compete in public procurement markets.
Unifor reiterates that it is available to collaborate with all stakeholders in order to protect jobs, support workers affected by the layoffs and ensure the sustainability of production in Quebec.
About Unifor
Unifor is the largest private sector union in Quebec and Canada, representing more than 320,000 members in all sectors of the economy. Unifor fights for the rights of all workers. It also fights for equality and social justice at home and abroad and aspires to bring about progressive change for a better future. In Quebec, Unifor represents nearly 55,000 members and is affiliated with Quebec’s largest central labour body, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ).
