General Motors to restart production at Detroit car plant

Mumbai: General Motors Corporation will resume production at its car assembly plant in Detroit on Monday, ending a month-long shut-down forced by a strike at its key parts supplier.

The Detroit passenger car plant has secured enough components and 1,300 laid-off workers have been called back to help restart production, GM said.

The Detroit plant, which builds the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne, was closed on 28 March after a strike by the United Auto Workers stopped parts supplies from the American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc.

GM also had to close over a dozen assembly plants across the US, Canada and Mexico, and lay off workers in several engine, transmission and stamping plants, following the American Axle strike.

GM also managed to resume truck production at Oshawa, Ontario, plant for three weeks, bringing back to work 2,700 employees. But, continuing and threatened UAW strikes at other facilities would hurt GM`s production and bottom line.

The plant, which makes the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, will run for three weeks to make sure that everything's ready for the next model cycle, the automaker said.

The strike by some 3,600 workers at five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York starting 26 February, has  resulted in a shortage of auto parts, forcing a shut-down at GM and other auto companies, affecting thousands of workers.