MONTREAL – If Flextronics wants to close its Montreal assembly plant, it won’t be without a fight from Teamsters Canada.

The workers union said it would challenge Flextronics’ decision to close the factory and layoff some 700 workers, the Montreal Gazette reported today.

According to the report, Flextronics is cutting staff and moving production to Mexico to cut costs for Nortel Networks, a major customer. The moves wll take place over the next several months, culminating in September.

“We are going to fight until the end to make sure these jobs stay in Montreal. We think Nortel's behavior in this is unacceptable," the report quoted Stéphane Lacroix, a Quebec-based union spokesman.

The report claimed an internal memo stated, "Over (the) coming months, the work done on behalf of Nortel by Flextronics in St. Laurent will transition to Flextronics' Guadalajara facility, to other contract manufacturers and, in some cases, back into Nortel itself."

Ironically, Flextronics purchased the site from Nortel two years ago.

Nortel and Flextronics did not comment for the report.