A Venezuelan court last week ordered the seizure of the company's Valencia plant. Workers said that before the seizure was announced, GM had been dismantling the plant, which has not produced a car since the beginning of 2016, reports media agency Reuters.

"We all received a payment and a text message", a worker who had worked for the company for more than a decade told Reuters.

The seizure was called illegal by General Motors. The company further announced that it would cease all operations in the country.