Medicine Hat Goodyear to Shut Temporarily

The Goodyear plant in Medicine Hat, Canada – to the East of Calgary – has announced that it will shut down production temporarily next month. The factory will shut for one week, starting on 13 April. The plant is also set to lose 35 full-time jobs on 28 March, while it recently cut its working week to five days. The company says that stagnant demand and a struggling automotive sector have led to the decision, while plant manager Mike MacGregor has quashed rumours that staff numbers could be cut by a further 40-50, though he told local newspaper the Medicine Hat News that there is a possibility that the plant will shave another day off its already-curtailed working week. “What we’re trying to do is protect the remaining workforce,” he concluded.