The automaker Nissan has suspended the only active shift operating at its plant in Córdoba, after several months of worsening crisis, according to union and government sources. There are rumors about the closure of production at the plant shared with Renault in the Santa Isabel neighborhood, in Córdoba, due to tension in the business relationship between both companies.
The union states that, despite having agreed on a global alliance and announcing joint investments, the poor relationship between Nissan and Renault has complicated the situation. Nissan in Córdoba produces the Frontier pickup and Renault's Alaskan, but in August 2024 the Japanese company announced negotiations to merge with Honda and Mitsubishi.
This coincided with Renault's announcement to produce a compact truck model in Santa Isabel, which generated greater tension. Currently, 450 employees working on the assembly of the Frontier are suspended this week, and there are warnings from the auto parts sector about delays in Nissan's payments to its suppliers.
In the midst of this situation, Maximiliano Ponce, General Secretary of SMATA in Córdoba, expressed his concern for the future of the employees: "The truth is yes, we are in a state of alert because if the new product goes to Mexico, what are they going to manufacture here? The old product would be out of the market".
Ponce also confirmed delays in payments to the company's suppliers, further complicating the labor situation. About 250 employees are totally suspended and another 200 face partial suspensions. The General Secretary added: "It has never made a coherent production, it has always had problems. And this last time, for a year we have been pushing to renew the contracts, trying to sustain jobs."
