Despite laying off 150 employees on Monday, the Quebec company Lion Électrique has decided to continue its Christmas party, which will take place in a luxurious reception hall in Laval The newspaper have learned.
• Also read: “It’s tough less than a month before Christmas”: big shock at Lion Électrique, which is laying off 150 employees
The electric truck and bus maker’s event will take place on December 22 at the Château Royal, whose space is large enough to accommodate more than 1,000 people in a single evening. Employees from all industries were invited free of charge.
Lion Électrique, which has received more than $300 million in government support in recent years, did not respond to our interview requests on the topic on Tuesday.
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Back to Monday’s cuts: They also affected the Lion’s plant in Joliet, Illinois. At least thirty people have lost their jobs. In Quebec, more than a hundred employees were laid off less than a month before Christmas. Everyone received a check for eight weeks’ wages.
In an internal memo to his employees, a copy of which was obtained by Le Journal, the president, CEO and founder of Lion Électrique made a surprising statement.
“[…] “In recent months we have implemented a number of targeted cost control measures,” wrote Marc Bédard. However, despite the increase in our sales, shipments and gross margins in the third quarter, we have so far failed to achieve the profitability that is essential to Lion’s sustainability.
We tried to find out more about the cuts from Labor Relations Committee Chairman Patrick Layette, but he is not authorized to speak to members of the media.
Towards unionization?
Within the walls of Lion Électrique, discontent among workers has been spreading in recent months. We spoke to some workers on condition of anonymity. They particularly criticize the working conditions and salaries that are not competitive in their industry.
In addition, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) is in the process of recruiting workers from the Mirabel, Saint-Jérôme and Terrebonne factories.
“When people want to unionize, it’s not about salaries or benefits, it’s about respect,” says IAMAW Canadian Vice President David Chartrand.
“Lion is committed to a bright future in a cutting-edge industry, but we have a CEO (Marc Bédard) who says his company is constantly growing but who is cutting 150 jobs.”
Likewise, IAMAW announced that three weeks ago it filed an application for union certification for the 140 employees at the Joliet, Illinois, plant.
A few days later, employees at factories in Quebec learned they would have three days of paid vacation during the holiday season.
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