GM closes plants in Colombia and Ecuador without warning

In Bogotá, workers at Colmotores (short for Fábrica Colombiana de Automotores) told the press that they arrived for work on Friday and were simply prevented from entering. The automaker's stance even violates Colombian labor laws and the local union has appealed to the Ministry of Labor to intervene in the situation.

The company did not say how many workers were fired. According to information released to the press by the unions, in Colombia there are around 600 direct workers, as well as other indirect workers. In Ecuador, there are said to be 450 direct employees and around 6,000 indirect employees.

The automaker claimed that the measure was part of the company's "business and restructuring policy". In other words, yet another arbitrary move by this multinational which, after exploiting as many countries as it can, simply closes factories without any prior discussion and without thinking about the lives of thousands of workers.

In a statement, the Trade Union Network of General Motors Workers in Latin America and the Caribbean expressed its solidarity with the workers and repudiated the closure of the plants.

"The company is once again unloading restructuring onto the backs of its workers in order to increase its income. This results in the destruction of thousands of jobs in both countries, as well as having harmful effects on the regional economy," the text states.

The organization points out that the multinationals that benefit from tax breaks and millionaire economic incentives from the governments "must understand that they play a fundamental role in the community and cannot move from one day to the next leaving thousands of workers on the streets."

"CSP-Conlutas also stands in solidarity with the Colombian and Ecuadorian workers affected by GM's arbitrary decision and joins the call for governments to take measures to prevent plant closures and guarantee workers' jobs and rights," said Luiz Carlos Prates, a metalworker and member of CSP-Conlutas' National Executive Secretariat.

See original text in Brazilian on website of CSP Conlutas:

https://cspconlutas.org.br/noticias/n/18412/sem-qualquer-aviso-previo-gm-fecha-fabricas-na-colombia-e-no-equador

Meeting in Sao Paolo Brazil in 2019

Statement of Trade Union Network of General Motors Workers in Latin America and the Caribbean in English

Statement by the General Motors (GM) Latin American and Caribbean Workers' Union Network against the closure of GM in Colombia and Ecuador, in defense of jobs and rights

General Motors announced today April 26, 2024 the closure of its production units in Colombia and Ecuador. It assures that this is part of the restructuring of its regional business, as it will focus its activities on imports and exports.

In this way, the company is once again offloading restructuring onto the backs of workers in order to increase its profits. This results in the destruction of thousands of jobs in both countries, in addition to having a damaging effect on the regional economy.

Companies that benefit from tax exemptions and economic incentives in the millions from governments should understand that they play a fundamental role in the community and cannot leave overnight, leaving thousands of workers in the street.

From the regional network of unions of GM plants we express our disagreement with the closure of the units and the consequent direct and indirect layoffs. We also express our solidarity with the affected workers.

We urge the company to reverse this situation, and the authorities of Colombia and Ecuador to prevent these closures and exhaust all possible instances to find another solution. We demand that all the rights and guarantees of our colleagues in both plants be respected during the process.

Solidarity with GM employees will continue in defense of jobs, working conditions and workers' rights.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)