Hundreds of employees protested outside a Ford Motor Co factory in India's western Gujarat state on Tuesday, asking that the factory's closing plan be canceled or that workers be given alternative employment.

Workers in blue uniforms gathered outside Ford's vehicle manufacturing and engine-making factory in Gujarat's Sanand city, claiming that the plant's scheduled closure by the end of the year will result in the loss of their jobs. "I've been working here for seven years and am now informed I don't have a job. What does the future hold for me? "One of the laborers, Anil Singh Jhala, inquired.

He said, "Our demand before the corporation and the government is that the factory not be closed." "If the company closes, our appeal to the government is that if another plant opens up here, we should be given first priority for jobs at the same salary." Major automakers, which were formerly bullish on growing countries like India, have lately closed their doors due to stagnant sales. Ford, which opened its first factory in India in the 1990s, announced earlier this month that it will stop manufacturing vehicles in the nation and suffer a $2 billion blow since it does not expect to make a profit.
According to a Ford India spokesman, the facility employs about 1,200 workers.

"We'll be engaging with unions and other stakeholders on ways to assist balance the impact and care for individuals who are directly impacted by the reorganization," he said. "We've begun talking to the union, and we don't have anything further to say."

The country's unemployment issue has deteriorated as a result of automakers' departures and factory closures in recent years, providing a huge challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to office in 2014 on a pledge to create jobs. "We are in shock since the announcement," said Jaisukh Kandolia, an employee who had been working at the Ford plant since 2016. "We have been told the plant will close by December 31," he said. "We do not know what we are going to do in the future."

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