Around 1,000 workers at the Ford factory in St. Petersburg stopped production on November 20 demanding a 30% wage increase, by Thursday around 600-700 workers had crossed the picket line and partial production had been resumed.
"We have stopped the picket, but the strike continues," he said, adding that the company had employed around 100 police to protect those workers choosing to cross the picket line.
Yekaterina Kulinenko, Ford public relations manager, said the plant, which employs 2,200 personnel and produces 300 cars each day, was operating at one-third capacity with one shift working per day, adding: "The plant manufactured 66 cars on November 28."
About $230 million has been invested in the Russian plant since production of Ford Focus models started in 2002.
The workers walked out November 7, but a court ruling deemed the strike unlawful and it was called off. The trade union said the current strike had led to lost production of 2,500 vehicles.
Average wages at the U.S. auto giant's sole Russian plant are about 21,000 rubles ($850) a month, according to the factory administration.
A previous dispute between management and employees was resolved after a one-day strike in March 2007, when the plant administration made concessions, concluding a new collective labor contract providing higher wages and increased employment benefits.
Ford produces its Focus models in Russia, and plans to increase output from the current 72,000 cars to 100,000 cars a year by 2009. The carmaker also plans to launch the production of up to 25,000 Mondeo models a year.
