Ford said Tuesday it won’t restart its factories in the U.S., Canada and Mexico on Monday, March 30 as the automaker had originally planned.
The company, which suspended production at its North American factories due to the continued spread of COVID-19, has decided not to restart operations in light of various governments’ orders to stay and work from home, Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president of North America said in a statement.
“We are assessing various options and working with union leaders – including the United Auto Workers and Unifor – on the optimal timing for resuming vehicle production, keeping the well-being of our workforce top of mind,” Galhotra added.
Ford’s closures in North America follows a decision to shutter factories in Cologne and Saarlouis in Germany, as well as its Craiova facility in Romania. Earlier this week, Ford asked all salaried employees — except those performing business-critical roles that can’t be done off site — to work remotely until further notice.
On March 15, the UAW along with GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles formed a coronavirus task force to work on ways to protect workers and lessen the spread of the disease.
GM and FCA also suspended operations last week. Those automakers haven’t said if they will restart production March 30.
