Unions prevented deliveries to the Ford plant in Genk on Friday and planned a 24-hour strike for Monday to protest the elimination of 3,000 jobs at the site, Associated Press (AP) reported.
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Unions locked the gates to bar deliveries of new supplies to the plant, forcing management to interrupt production, and prevented the export of vehicle parts to other Ford factories in Europe, AP added.
Once members go back to work on Tuesday, unions plan a work slowdown at the plant which still employs nearly 10,000, the report said.
“Ford has to be hurt financially,” union representative Pierre Vrancken told Associated Press.
Unions also told the news agency that by keeping vital car parts in the Genk plant, such as wheel rims, production at other Ford plants would also be affected soon.
AP noted that Ford last week said it would cut 3,000 jobs and cancel the promised investment of €900 million ($US1.05 billion) at the Belgian plant, citing sagging sales and rising costs.
According to AP, unions fear last week’s decision will lead to a further scaling down of the plant in the eastern city, where Ford has already cut jobs over the past decade.
