Athira Sethu
Kochi, 23 September 2024
General Motors (GM) said that it would cut jobs of 1,695 assembly plant employees in Kansas, US based on a recently filed Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. The layoffs have been confirmed by a company spokesperson.
Two rounds of layoffs are planned. The first round will begin on 18 November with a temporary layoff of 686 full-time workers and termination of 250 temporary positions. In the second round scheduled for January 12, 2025, another 759 full-time workers will be temporarily laid off, the notification said.
According to the layoff plan, General Motors has also prepared to stop the production line of Cadillac XT4 after January 2025. These lay-offs would continue until the same assembly line resumes production in late 2025 for both Cadillac XT4 and the Bolt EV.
In May, the company said it is spending nearly $390 million on revamps at its Fairfax Assembly Plant to prepare for production of the new Chevrolet Bolt EV. An investment this high will include fitting new equipment, thus, all employees impacted will move to temporary layoff until production resumes mid-2025.
It has also laid off more than 1,000 salaried employees around the world in August, affecting its software and service units. There are signs that this is part of a process the company is undergoing, transforming as it changes its production requirements and market conditions.
At the same time, while navigating through these transitions, GM is investing hugely in operations aimed at efficiency and adjustment to new technologies in the automobile industry. Recent announcements of the company are already signaling about its future production capabilities and the management of workforce changes.
