Employees of the Ford India plant demanded that the production be suspended in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ford Motor said it will pause production at its plant in the state of Tamil Nadu. The decision came after workers staged a lunchtime sit-in protest on Thursday, May 27, demanding leave and health benefits during pandemic times.
On Wednesday, the Chennai Ford Employees Union expressed concern in a letter to management after 230 workers caught the virus.
"We boycotted the lunch to express our displeasure. Production has been going on. We want the company to declare holidays by temporarily halting production, till the situation improves in the state. The company should pay all medical expenses of workers affected by the coronavirus," said Chennai Ford Employees' Union.
The company has been operating the facility in a single shift and nearly 1,500 to 1,700 employees work on a single day. "We want the company to declare a holiday till the ongoing COVID lockdown ends. The Tamil Nadu government has announced a lockdown till May 31. If the government extends it, then we also want the management to extend the holiday."
"Employee safety is and has been our topmost priority and we will observe NPDs (no production days) on Friday and Saturday in line with the feedback received from our employees", the company said in an email sent.