Automaker Ford has announced this week it will shutdown the night shift it has at its Camaçari plant, in the state of Bahia, in March 2016 due to weak market conditions.
According to the automaker, it will use “all needed tools to manage” the exceeding workforce it currently has at the Camaçari plant, as lower sales volumes demand fewer workers and consequently one less work shift.
Ford is said to be in talks with a local union, but it’s not clear whether the company could temporarily reduce both the workers wages and shifts at the Camaçari plant, as it did at its Sao Bernardo do Campo facility, in the state of Sao Paulo. Ford has about 4,712 workers at the Camaçari plant and has a production capacity of 250,000 cars per year.
Brazil’s labor law allows companies to join a job protection plan, in which employees work at reduced shifts and receive, proportionally, reduced wages.
Ford sold 217,131 units, including automobiles and light commercial cars, in the cumulative period of January to October this year, 11 percent down, year-on-year, according to figures from the nation’s automotive industry association, Anfavea.