Tuesday night Don Weatherson's 11-year-old son couldn't sleep. He told his mother he is scared the family is going to lose everything.

"That hurts," said Weatherson, 40. "I've never been promised a job and had it yanked out beneath me."

A toolmaker by trade, Weatherson found out Tuesday afternoon what he thought was a new job at the Ford Oakville assembly complex has been postponed indefinitely.

"I was supposed to take orientation training at Sheridan College and bring copies of a birth certificate, driver's licence, SIN card and a void cheque," he said. "They don't ask for a void cheque unless they're going to use it."

Now, a local labour relations lawyer said the company could face wrongful hiring suits from disgruntled recruits for indefinitely delaying the start of shifts.

"If the company gave a firm start date and the new employee quit his job that they can't get back, they have a potential claim against the company for lost wages," said labour and employment lawyer and Spectator columnist Ed Canning.

Ford spokesperson Lauren More said: "The delay is regrettable and we understand it affects the lives of hundreds of people. But it is the only responsible decision given the current market."

Canadian Auto Workers Local 707 president Gary Beck said Ford needs to take responsibility.

"People have left jobs and homes."

Or like Weatherson, they are in limbo. His former employer won't take him back.

"This leaves me without a job, without a prospect of a job, with no money and a mortgage," he said.

It's the fast turnaround from what people thought was employment to uncertainty that has many recruits up in arms.

Ford announced in April plans to open 500 new jobs for a third shift for its final assembly operations.

The 350 company recruits were told just last week to report to training on July 28.

Due to lacklustre sales, the rest -- 160 workers laid off from a Ford plant in Windsor -- are the only ones that have been guaranteed jobs.

"They could have been honest and just not hired us," said Rachel James, 36, who considers herself lucky to be able to get her old job back.

She said a month passed in between the final portion of the interview process and when Ford called her to report for training.

"The company should have sent out letters saying they couldn't finish the hiring process because of a drop in sales ... so nobody got hurt."

cwhitwell@thespec.com 905-526-2452