Sept 17 (Reuters) - Canadian labor union Unifor extended

its deadline for contract negotiations with General Motors ( GM )

on Tuesday, averting a strike at the plant in Ingersoll,

Ontario that makes electric vehicles and batteries.

The deadline for reaching a deal was on Tuesday and the

Unifor Local 88 had previously said that 97% of its

more-than-1,300 members were in favour of stopping work at the

CAMI plant if a deal was not reached.

The union did not give a new deadline and declined to share

further information than what it said in its statement.

"Our bargaining committee continues to make progress at the

bargaining table and talks will continue so long as that remains

the case," Unifor National President Lana Payne said in the

statement.

GM, which makes the BrightDrop commercial vans and Ultium

battery modules at the plant, did not immediately respond to a

request for comment.

Unifor and GM started contract negotiations last week.