Venezuela orders Mitsubishi to reopen plant

Venezuela has ordered Mitsubishi Motors Corp to reopen its car assembly plant in the South American country.

Venezuela’s labour ministry instructed the company to “restart productive activities” at its plant in the eastern city of Barcelona.

Spokesmen for Mitsubishi could not be immediately reached for comment.

Mitsubishi announced this week that it would close the plant because operations have been hampered by “indiscipline, anarchy and violence”.

The company’s workers staged several strikes over the last year.

Clashes between police and workers protesting outside the plant in January left two people dead.

During another conflict, workers seized control of the plant for 120 days.

The plant employed about 1,400 workers.