General Motors’ Egyptian plant is still shuttered today (2 February) as curfew conditions make it almost impossible for workers to access its plant near Cairo.
A source familiar with the situation in Cairo confirmed production at the automaker’s 6 October factory continued to be halted with the GM board meeting daily to assess when work could resume.
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“GM is not producing today – we have no clear idea when we will be starting again but the board is meeting every day,” the source told just-auto from Cairo.
“There is a curfew and we can’t move the buses…to get the staff to the factory and back. No-one can predict what will happen.”
Egypt and Cairo in particular, have been plunged into extraordinary turmoil as a popular uprising has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets in protest at the rule of President Hosni Mubarak’s government.
The Egyptian army is currently patrolling the streets of Cairo as an uneasy stand-off appears to be developing with the military calling for demonstrators to return home.
However, official movement restrictions remain in place with the Egyptian source adding to just-auto there was a “short window” for the curfew that starts at 15:00 and ends at 08:00 the following morning.
“It is until further notice,” he said. “Everybody has stopped working.”
GM’s international operations in China was not immediately available for comment, but yesterday (1 February) its spokesman said: “Our local team is assessing the situation and will decide to commence operations once the conditions permit.”
Daimler and Nissan are also thought to have suspended operations in Egypt temporarily.
