WINNIPEG – Versatile Farm Equipment Operations Ltd. plans to lay off almost one-quarter of the workers at its Winnipeg plant.
Dale Patterson, an area director with the Canadian Auto Workers union, confirmed the company will be laying off 46 workers before Christmas and 97 more in February because of poor sales.
Patterson said the 143 people laid off include production workers, assembly line workers, tradespeople, machinists and mechanics.
The union representing the workers was not expecting the announcement.
“It came as a bit of a surprise because of the large amount of product they’ve been putting out of the plant,” Patterson said.
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“But there is some indications that sales of farm equipment has slowed in the last part of this year and is not expected to totally pick up until late 1996,” he added.
The plant employs 650 people.
Versatile manager Paul Soubry was not available for comment.
Patterson said the plant has had a cyclical workforce in the past several years. In 1991, it was down to 70 workers.
“(The employees are) used to layoffs, but with the way the market has expanded and the new product line that has been brought into the operation at Winnipeg, there was a lot of optimism for long-term employment,” Patterson said.
