Bombardier cuts 715 aerospace jobs
Quebec government 'disappointed' but says industry will bounce back
Last Updated: Thursday, November 26, 2009 | 5:36 PM ET
CBC News
Bombardier employees work on a CRJ200 jet at the company's plant in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)Bombardier Aerospace is laying off 715 workers in its Montreal-area facilities because of slow orders for its CRJ regional jet airliners.
"There are not enough projected CRJ aircraft sales to maintain the current production plans," Guy Hachey, president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Aerospace, stated Thursday.
"Although we are in discussions with several airlines, we had to finalize our aircraft delivery schedule for the next fiscal year.
"We fully recognize the impact this additional workforce reduction will have on our affected workers and their families."
The timing of the announcement was particularly poor, said David Chartrand, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union executive for Bombardier Aerospace.
"People are going shopping, and right now they know there's going to be layoffs," Chartrand said. "They don't know if they'll be working after Christmas or if they'll be on the unemployment line."
Orders for CRJ aircraft have dwindled in the last year because of the depressed global economy, Hachey said.
Quebec's Liberal government reacted quickly to the announcement, calling the news "disappointing." However, the province's airplane manufacturing industry will rebound in the long term, said Economic Development Minister Clément Gignac.
Bombardier is hiring in other areas of its aerospace production, which will give some laid-off employees options, Gignac said, and the industry will pick up when the economy does.
The 715 people affected by Thursday's announcement will remain on the payroll until at least January, when the job cuts will start to take effect.
Quebec-funded assistance programs are available for laid-off workers, Gignac said.
Bombardier machinists union president David Chartrand says the timing of the cuts is bad. (CBC)
Bombardier Aerospace has announced more than 4,000 layoffs worldwide this fiscal year.
The company still harbours high hopes for its CSeries aircraft, a larger jet it aims to put into service in 2013, and it has about 500 jobs to fill for CSeries design and development.
However, McGill University management professor Karl Moore said this won't necessarily help the people who will be getting pink slips in the coming days.
"Those (CSeries openings) are people who design planes, whereas these (layoff victims) are people that make planes — two very different skill sets," Moore said.
