 The Cowley plant is where BMW manufactures the Mini |
Hundreds of staff at BMW's Mini factory in Oxfordshire are to resume production after being laid off over the weekend due to Spanish fuel protests. Staff were forced to cease production because the plant, in Cowley, could not get hold of crucial parts. Fuel protests by lorry drivers in Spain last week blockaded major cities, disrupting airports and ports. BMW said it "would once again like to thank our associates for their co-operation and understanding". Staff had feared they would not be paid while production was halted.  |  Fortunately, we have managed to get the necessary production parts out of Spain |
Unions were in discussions with the plant's management and indications were that staff would be paid as normal although they may work some unpaid hours in the long-run. Before the halt in production one worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that workers would probably have to work extra hours in future not to lose out on pay. He said he did not want to end up owing the company extra hours.  Vehicles have been produced at Cowley since 1913 |
"Some of the people aren't very happy because they are having to do it on working time account, which is hours that they had built up to have off at times when they would like to have time off," he said. BMW had said the situation was "beyond our control". In a statement on Monday, the company said: "Fortunately, we have managed to get the necessary production parts out of Spain and are now able to resume production this afternoon as planned." About 700 Minis are produced every day at Cowley, where 4,700 people work three shifts, seven days per week.
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