Fiat Alfa Romeo plant resumes normal operations

MILAN, April 17 (Reuters) - Production at Alfa Romeo's main plant in Italy resumed its normal pace on Thursday after union workers ended their protest and started talks with management, said the sports car maker's parent, Fiat (FIA.MI: Quote, Profile, Research).

Production had been partially suspended for several days when workers blocked the entrance on Friday to protest against the transfer of about 300 employees to another site in the same town as part of a reorganisation of the plant's operations.

The site and the plant are in the town of Pomigliano d'Arco, near Naples.

The plant makes the 147 hatchback and the 159 sedan.

Fiat had to get a court order to have police remove workers from the entrance before starting talks with then.

Recently renamed after Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico, the plant had restarted operations on March 3 after a two-month shutdown for refurbishment.

It employs about 5,000 workers. (Reporting by Gilles Castonguay; Editing by Andrew Hurst)