Tire factory team receives redundancy package of 10 tires

Employees at a Venezuelan tire plant have been fired – and their redundancy package consists of 10 tires from their former employer, Goodyear.

Fortunately for the hard-hit workers, who now join the unemployed in Venezuela, premium tires have become extremely valuable on the black market, the BBC reports, giving every worker a chance to sell the tires and feed their families – for a while, less .

The country's economic crisis and ensuing civil unrest have become so serious, and the civil unrest so serious there, that the tire manufacturer is leaving the country – following Kellogg, Kimberley Clark and several airlines.

Goodyear issued a statement yesterday confirming the move. It said:

"[Goodyear] made the difficult decision to stop producing tires [in Venezuela].

"Our goal was to maintain its operations, but US economic conditions and sanctions made this impossible."

The sanctions imposed on dozens of high-level Venezuelans by the US contributed to the collapse of the South American country's economy. The US says individuals targeted are guilty of corruption, drug trafficking and human rights crimes.