Amidst the ongoing 'turmoil' due to job cuts and production reschedule in the slowdown-hit auto sector, leading vehicle manufacturer Tata Motors has decided to recall more than 600 non-permanent employees, disengaged at the firm's Jamshedpur unit almost eight months back.

Tata Motors' commercial vehicle plant in Jamshedpur had already faced a record five-block closure in a span of just ten weeks in the wake of financial meltdown worldwide and steep demand downturn.

Official sources in the Telco workers union told UNI here today that the decision was taken due to an improved production schedule for the next month.

''The plant is currently undergoing fifth block clsoure and will restart production from February two. From the same date, 620 non-permanent workers have been asked to report for duty. They were among the first lot of around 3,000 such workers, who were disengaged in the wake of the crisis. Their names are already on the notice board of the labour bureau, '' sources informed.

The production of heavy commercial vehicles, including trucks, trippers, trailors and other multi-axel vehicle at the plant, is currently at halt due to the fifth block closure from January 27 to 31. The output would be resumed on February 2 as February 1 was Sunday, sources said adding the plant had seen a steep downturn in demand (from almost 500 units per day to around 100 recently) due to loan crisis in auto sector caused by global slowdown.

The firm had earlier announced four block closures from November 6-8, November 25-29 and December 8-13 and December 28-31.