Agence France Presse
March 18, 2009
OTTAWA - Disgruntled Canadian autoworkers who seized a closed parts plant that once supplied Chrysler reportedly ended their occupation of the facility Wednesday after receiving better severance packages.
About a dozen employees who had barricaded themselves inside the Aradco plant in Windsor, Ontario since Tuesday evening over a dispute about unpaid severance pay left the property, public broadcaster Radio-Canada reported.
Broadcaster CBC said the workers welded the doors shut from the inside and refused to leave until they were paid 1.7 million Canadian dollars (1.35 million US) in termination pay.
The employer offered them four weeks severance, or about 200,000 dollars.
A spokesman for the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union could not immediately confirm the occupation, but acknowledged a dispute between 80 workers at the Aradco plant and owner Catalina Precision Products Limited.
The workers, who were laid off last week, were able to obtain better severance packages, Radio-Canada reported, without providing details.
Earlier Wednesday the Ontario Superior Court ordered the workers to end their occupation.
The company closed the plant last week after a dispute with Chrysler, which is threatening to pull out of Canada if it does not receive massive wage concessions from the CAW and a bailout from the government.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.
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