GM Fires Its Venezuelan Workforce, Many by Text, as It Flees Country

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Last week, General Motors’ long-idled Venezuela assembly plant fell into the hands of the country’s autocratic government, sparking the automaker’s exit from the strife-ridden nation.

With its material assets out of its hands, the automaker’s Venezuelan subsidiary jettisoned the plant’s entire 2,700-person workforce today, Reuters reports. It did so in as abrupt a manner as the takeover itself. Meanwhile, the government wants to chat.

According to one longtime employee, his company email account was deactivated over the weekend. Today, he told Reuters that, “We all received a payment and a text message.”

That story was the same for another worker, who claimed, “Our former bosses told us the executives left and we were all fired. There is no longer anyone in the country.”

The plant hadn’t produced a vehicle since 2015, given the country’s dire economic situation. At the time of the seizure, local media claimed the takeover stemmed from a 17-year-old lawsuit over nullified contracts with Chevrolet dealers in the city of Maracaibo. In response, GM stated it would cease operations there immediately.

One report stated one of the plant’s unions had taken over the plant weeks before the facility fell into government hands, with company officials barred from entering by union members.

Now, it seems that the country’s government would like the automaker to reconsider. According to Reuters, the government of Nicholas Maduro claims it doesn’t want to expropriate the 35-year-old facility, and would like GM to return.

“To the current General Motors president of Venezuela, Jose Cavaileri: You come here, show your face and share with us the options to restore normality,” Labor Minister Francisco Torrealba said today.

Based on GM’s actions and the fact that neither it, nor any other automaker, has been able to build or sell vehicles in any appreciable quantity in the country in recent years, the outlook for an agreement doesn’t look good. GM previously stated it would pursue all legal options to defend its rights.

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Don1967 Don1967 on Apr 25, 2017

    Another Participant medal for socialism. But by all means keep trying. I'm sure we'll find our perfect, iron-fisted, spirit-crushing utopia someday.

  • Pig_Iron Pig_Iron on Apr 25, 2017

    Wasn't that plant already idled last year, and only running a skeleton crew since 2014?

  • Lorenzo Heh. The major powers, military or economic, set up these regulators for the smaller countries - the big guys do what they want, and always have. Are the Chinese that unaware?
  • Lorenzo The original 4-Runner, by its very name, promised something different in the future. What happened?
  • Lorenzo At my age, excitement is dangerous. one thing to note: the older models being displayed are more stylish than their current versions, and the old Subaru Forester looks more utilitarian than the current version. I thought the annual model change was dead.
  • Lorenzo Well, it was never an off-roader, much less a military vehicle, so let the people with too much money play make believe.
  • EBFlex The best gift would have been a huge bonfire of all the fak mustangs in inventory and shutting down the factory that makes them.Heck, nobody would even have to risk life and limb starting the fire, just park em close together and wait for the super environmentally friendly EV fire to commence.
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