Lion Électrique employees filed a request for union accreditation to the Administrative Labor Tribunal through the Machinists’ Union (AIMTA) on Tuesday, according to what The newspaper has learned.
The request affects between 200 and 250 workers at the Saint-Jérôme factory. The other Quebec units of the manufacturer of electric buses and trucks are not affected for the moment. A recruitment campaign that stretched over several years.
“The dismissal of 150 people in December and the layoff of 100 others in February hurt,” explains Éric Gagné, who is responsible for recruitment for the Association of Machinists and Aerospace (AIMTA). After the February announcement, remaining employees realized their jobs were precarious.
“Last week, during a conference in Quebec, Marc Bédard (CEO of Lion) mentioned that there were other things coming. He was unable to say if it was other cuts. Employees who were not yet convinced decided to sign their cards.”
Lion Électrique managers will be informed of the request for accreditation in the coming hours. They will have to post the announcement in their factory. They will then have one week to provide the list of employees covered by accreditation and they will have to come to an agreement with the IAMAW. After an investigation by the Labor Court, if the “50 + 1” ratio is reached, accreditation will be automatic.
With this procedure, the working conditions of Saint-Jérôme employees are frozen until further notice.
Heavy losses
At the same time as its latest layoffs, Lion Électrique announced losses of $56.5 million for its last quarter of 2023 despite a 30% increase in revenue ($60 million). However, analysts’ expectations were $100 million for revenue.
In total, Lion delivered 188 vehicles for the months of October, November and December. On the stock market, the stock has fallen below two dollars since that dark day. On Tuesday, it stood at $1.80.