Economy

protest

Agencies | Drafting

Meanwhile, the company insists that it can only negotiate relocations and that it is not possible to discuss the maintenance of the plant’s activity.

1:30

Hundreds of people have participated this Wednesday in the human chain convened by the works council of Arcelor Mittal Zumarraga against the cessation of the productive activity of the plant.

Speaking to Europa Press, Adolfo Sastre, UGT representative in the works council, indicated that they are “very satisfied with the collaboration” of the people in this human chain, which will be followed by a concentration this afternoon at the factory coinciding with the negotiating meeting.

Despite the call for the general strike planned for this Wednesday, several stores in Zumarraga and Urretxu have remained closed, and schools have made strikes.

During the human chain of this Wednesday, the mayor of ZumarragaMikel Serrano, has also defended the maintenance of the factory and has reiterated his “solidarity” with the workers.

The company insists that it can only negotiate relocations

Meanwhile, the committee and the management of Arcelor Mittal Zumarraga have met again this afternoon maintaining both their respective postures defense of the maintenance of industrial activity, on the one hand, and plan for the relocation of the workforce, on the other.

In the absence of rapprochement, both parties will meet again this Friday, at ten o’clock in the morning, the date on which the consultation period will end.

As reported by sources of the company, its disposition would be to extend the consultation period, if there is a willingness on the part of the unions to negotiate the offer of relocations made by the management, which has reiterated its willingness to cease the activity of the Zumarraga plant due to the losses it has incurred. calculated at “more than 20 million euros per year”.

Therefore, consider that “It is not possible” to discuss the maintenance of the activity of the plant, based on the data provided by the reports commissioned by the multinational and transferred to the unions.

Once the consultation period without agreement has ended, the company would notify the affected workers of the relocations, which, if rejected, would result in the termination of their contracts with a compensation of 20 days per year worked up.

For their part, union sources have denounced that the management insists on its closure approach and has announced that this Thursday the workers will agree in an assembly, at nine in the morning, the future mobilizations to demand that the activity be maintained in Zumarraga.

They have also expressed their willingness to extend the consultation period, in which the unions are studying the economic reports that the company has done to justify the closure in Zumarraga.

Mikel Serrano: ‘Opportunity to the industrial plan’

The mayor of Zumarraga, the socialist Mikel Serrano, has asked the management of Arcelor Mittal to withdraw its proposal to relocate the workers at the plant in the aforementioned town in Gipuzkoa and “give an opportunity to the industrial plan proposed by the Basque Government.”

In statements to the media after participating in the human chain convened by the Arcelor Zumarraga works council this Wednesday between the plant and Urretxu, Serrano has been “convinced” that, with an investment plan, “it is possible to continuity of activity and employment “in the aforementioned factory. “If the necessary investments are made, the plant will be competitive and the possible closure is reversible,” he added.

In addition, he has demanded that the company “bet on an industrial plan and the plant maintains its activity so that all workers continue in their work activity under the conditions they currently have.”