Due to slumping demand, Ford Motors has halted operations for its plant in Russia. For now, it seems that workers will have to make do with the one-third pay from their normal wages for the duration of the shutdown phase. Operations are said to continue in June although this will only be for a four-day work week until October.
“We have suspended production at the Vsevolozhsk factory because of the market situation and forecasts for falling sales in the automobile industry,” spokeswoman Yekaterina Kulinenko
Ford’s assembly line in Vsevolozhsk, near Russia’s second city, has produced the Focus and Mondeo models for sale on the Russian market since 2002 and employs about 200,000 people.
The highest selling vehicle of Ford in Russia is the Ford Focus. However, due to the spreading economic turmoil, Ford is also experiencing a sales slump thus the need to make the necessary preventive measures to avoid adding more loses for the embattled U.S. car making giant.
(Source) AFP
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