GM tells Mexico workers it plans May 20 restart at Silao plant

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - General Motors Co is tentatively planning to restart operations at its auto assembly plant in the Mexican city of Silao on May 20, according to a message to workers seen by Reuters on Sunday, as the car industry prepares to exit the coronavirus lockdown.

The reopening of the plant would be a positive signal for the auto sector in North America, whose supply lines are highly interconnected between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The plant in the central state of Guanajuato has been idled for weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak. Workers had previously been told to plan to return to their jobs on May 18.

A GM spokeswoman said the company could not confirm when it would restart operations at any of its facilities in Mexico because it is awaiting more guidance from the government.

The message to the plant's workers came after the government on Friday clarified when the industry could begin easing restrictions imposed because of the health emergency.

On Wednesday, the government said automakers could start going back into production from May 18. It then withdrew that advice and suggested the new start date would be June 1.

Finally it indicated the sector, which forms the backbone of Mexican manufacturing, could begin operating as soon as next week if companies had the required safety measures in place.

U.S. officials and its auto industry have pressed Mexico's government to get its factories open again because American operations depend heavily on parts from south of the border.

However, some politicians are wary of opening too fast. Mexico registered its first case of coronavirus weeks after the United States and Canada and the toll of daily infections and deaths in the country reached new peaks over the past few days.

The Silao production facility, which makes highly profitable pickup trucks for GM, is one of the biggest automotive plants in Guanajuato, a major Mexican carmaking state.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Additional reporting by Sharay Angulo; Writing by Julia Love; Editing by Daniel Wallis)