Siemens locks out employees ahead of Tuesday meeting in Tillsonburg

Hundreds of people are questioning the future of their employment at Siemens Wind Power Ltd. in Tillsonburg after the plant shut its doors Sunday night.

“Please be advised, all production scheduled to start Sunday, July 16 at 11 p.m. is currently cancelled until further notice, so that all employees can attend the mandatory all-employee meeting on Tuesday, July 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the Tillsonburg Community Centre,” said a phone message left for employees at the Tillsonburg plant.

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There have been rumours that the facility would close during the summer, but there has been no confirmation from Siemens.

In response to a request for comment, AM980 received the following short statement from Siemens Wind Power Ltd.

The employees received notification of an all employee meeting that will be taking place tomorrow morning. All employees were given a paid day off in order to allow the night and afternoon shifts to adjust their schedules to attend the meeting.

Siemens currently employs around 300 workers at the wind turbine facility, located at 1 Clearview Dr.

Union members from Unifor Local 88 made their way to the facility Monday morning to show their support for Siemens staff. Employees at the plant are not unionized.

Speculation of the closure comes just over three years since the company landed a huge contract with the province to supply $850 million in wind turbines north of Goderich. The deal was the province’s largest wind project to date.

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Last fall, the Liberal government suspended plans for more green energy stating the province will not need additional turbines for at least a decade.