Ford resumes production in Russia despite strike

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. resumed production at a factory in the Leningrad region of Russia on Wednesday despite picketing by labor unions, who have been striking since Nov. 20, a Ford spokeswoman said.

"Production has resumed," Yekaterina Kulinenko told Reuters.

The factory will operate one shift per day using workers not taking part in the strike, Kulinenko said. Out of 2,000 workers, 1,300 were prepared to work, she said.

The workers went on strike eight days ago to demand a 30 percent wage increase. The factory's administrators have said they will not negotiate with the unions until the workers go back to work.

The factory's union held a one-day warning strike on Nov. 7, but a court deemed it illegal as it did not follow procedures in preparing for the walkout.

The Ford factory produces 300 Focus model cars per day and plans to invest $100 million to increase that capacity to 125,000 cars per year. The head of the factory has warned that the strike may impact these plans