New Delhi: General Motors has come under fire from workers after the auto manufacturer fired over 1,000 people at its flagship Detroit assembly plant in the US and replaced them with 50 robots.
The automaker, which owns popular car brands such as Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, and Buick, has said that the move was necessary to stay competitive and improve “safety and ergonomics” for the employees, reported Crain’s Detroit Business.
“We’ve been installing cobots across our manufacturing footprint as part of a broader push to bring more advanced technology into our operations,” spokesman Kevin Kelly told the publication.
“At Factory ZERO, we are implementing them alongside our team — helping improve safety and ergonomics, while keeping our operations flexible and competitive,” he added.
The cobots, or collaborative robots, have been hired at the Detroit-Hamtramck electric truck plant, also known as the Factory Zero plant, in Michigan. They are now working alongside workers who survived the layoff, helping attach body panels to the vehicles, reported AutoBlog.
This comes as researchers explore ways to integrate humanoids in everyday life. Lately, such robots have been seen doing a range of activities long associated with humans — delivering food, patrolling streets, cooking, and even climbing mountains.
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‘Taking away jobs’
General Motor’s decision to replace workers with robots has drawn sharp criticism from labour unions.
“Our manpower is being taken away from us. From top to bottom, we’re disgusted that they have cobots in our plants,” United Auto Workers Local 22 President James Cotton, who represents workers at the plant, told Crain’s Detroit Business.
Cotton confirmed to the outlet that he recently visited the plant and saw around 50 robots working on vehicles.
The union leader said they have also raised safety concerns over robots working next to humans.
“It’s always a concern when you see a robot coming to a plant, especially after they have laid off over a thousand people. They say it’s the wave of the future and if that’s so, they’re taking away jobs from people,” Cotton added.
In 2024, GM had cut over 1,000 jobs across its software and service units to “prioritize the investments that will have the greatest impact.”