Around 20,000 domestic workers at three of the nation's biggest carmakers will be put on temporary leave because of the output suspensions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, company sources say.
Nissan Motor Co., Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. have already made adjustments by encouraging some employees to take paid days off. But given the uncertainty over when production might resume, the three are stepping up efforts to further mitigate the impact of the disruptions.
Nissan is in talks with its labor union over a plan that would allow about 4,000 workers to stay home while collecting reduced wages. Mitsubishi Motors is moving to apply a similar system to around 6,500 workers, the sources said Wednesday. Mazda introduced a similar plan late last month for some of its 17,000 plant workers and administrative staff at its headquarters in Hiroshima Prefecture.