More temporary layoffs at Thunder Bay Bombardier plant

Forty workers at the Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay will be off the job in January for a maximum of six weeks, according to a company spokesperson.

That's in addition to nearly 50 employees who received layoff notices before Christmas.

"There are several issues at play that impact employees on two production lines...related to vendor and supplier issues," said Bombardier spokesperson Stephanie Ash. 

The union representing workers said it's upsetting news.

"This is again frustrating for us, to have a hundred people out of work because there seems to be a problem coordinating production," said Unifor National Staff Representative Andy ​Savela.

Savela said it's his understanding that the people being laid off were working on the street car project for Toronto and with that project the company has gone to a more global production model.

He said that is why Unifor has been pressuring Bombardier to bring the work back in-house.

"We don't experience these problems to this degree or nature when we perform the work," he said. "You have control over the quality of the parts that are going on the car. But you know in this case, more importantly, you have control over the timing and availability of those parts when you need them."

But Ash said the situation is "not as simple as it may appear."

"A global supply chain is the reason we are able to be a competitive and cost efficient site," she said. "We are part of an integrated manufacturing system that is a huge benefit to us in Thunder Bay."