The Toyoita factory in Onnaing, which assembles little Yaris, has been shutdown since mid-March due to the coronavirus epidemic. It should restart on April 21 with two teams, against three before the epidemic.
“We wanted to make a gradual restart to have a serene atmosphere and get the staff used to collective and individual protection measures,” said the spokesperson for Toyota France. These measures include the wearing of masks and visors and respect for distances, even for smokers who will be equipped with an individual ashtray to avoid grouping during breaks.
During the CSE on Friday, April 10, the CGT voted against the project on the grounds that it goes against confinement. The other unions will vote at the end of the meeting, Tuesday, April 14, of the health and safety committee on the evaluation of the measures proposed by management.
It would be the first reopening in the French automotive sector. At PSA and Renault, unions have signed agreements in recent days including health measures strengthened in anticipation of the resumption of work in assembly plants, but most do not want to hear about a restart of production before the country has started to emerge from containment.
The Onnaing plant, near Valenciennes, employs 4,500 people and produced 225,000 cars last year. The 4th generation of the flagship hybrid city car of the Japanese group is scheduled for the coming weeks.
Toyota announced on March 18 the shutdown of all its factories in Europe due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
With Reuters (Gilles Guillaume, edited by Jean-Philippe Lefief)