Economy

Job issue

AGENCIES | DRAFTING

With 143 votes in favor and 127 against, the staff has approved the company’s reopening plan, which involves working only several weekends a month with half the people.

1:35

The ACB staff Sestao has finally accepted the plan proposed by the management of ArcelorMittal for the reopening of the plant from July with half the current workforce and a production of 12,000 tons per month, which means working only several weekends.

A total of 143 workers have voted in favor, 127 against and 12 abstentions have been counted, according to union sources.

Throughout the day, an assembly was held in which the company’s proposal was debated, after Arcelor had rejected the plan that the works council had drawn up and that contemplated producing between 75,000 and 85,000 tons. with the entire staff.

The workforce, including the management of ACB, have voted from 12:00 to 17:00 and finally 282 of the 346 workers in the census have voted.

Among these 346 workers are the plant workers (282), who have voted “en masse”, and those who are in a situation of partial retirement (64), who some unions had asked not to vote and who have not turned out to vote. to the same extent as the plant.

CC. YES. and UGT They had announced that they would release their affiliates, although they do not share the Plan, and IS IT OVER THERE and LAB they defended rejecting this proposal and continuing “with the fight.”

The workforce, now made up of about 300 workers, would be reduced to around 140 workers, partial retirement would be facilitated for workers born between 1955 and 1957 and the rest would have access to the temporary employment regulation file.

From the works council, with a majority of CC. OO. and UGT, it has been pointed out that what has been accepted with the result of this vote is to “start” with the plan proposed by the ArcelorMittal group and “try to improve it, especially the twelve-hour issue” for what is intended ” negotiate the schedule. “

For its part, the LAB union will rethink its actions from now on because it considers that the union action unit has been broken after CC. OO. and UGT have taken the company’s plan to a vote and a point has been reached where the workforce “is fractured.”

The Abertzale central has pointed out that among the people subject to the agreement “who are the ones who are going to suffer the consequences,” the majority of the directors have not to the plan of the company, and has criticized that all directors have come to vote “in single file” of the plant.

DC. OO. will require ArcelorMittal that the support of the workforce “entails a commitment of activity and employment to guarantee the viability of the plant at least until 2020.”

The union has warned that it does not rule out “any type of pressure to reverse 12-hour workdays on weekends and regain employment”, and has defended that ACB “has a future.”

The management, waiting to sign an agreement with the Basque Government

ArcelorMittal’s management has stated that, after the support of ACB’s staff for its plan for the steelworks, they are waiting to reach an agreement with the Basque Government to be able to reopen the Biscayan plant in mid-July.

As specified, the plant will work only on weekends in order to optimize its cost of electricity and “thus be able to obtain a positive gross operating margin”, taking into account market circumstances, which continue “to be very difficult.”

Arcelor’s management has indicated that, despite the fact that the Plan would entail a reduction in the “necessary” workforce, the remaining personnel taking advantage of the Temporary Employment Regulation File, the company “firmly” believes that the Plan presented is the only viable one. so that the plant can resume productive activity and “overcome its loss situation”.

“Respect” of the Basque Government

The Basque Government has expressed its respect “as it cannot be otherwise” for the decision of the workforce, as reported by sources from the Department of Economic Development and Competitiveness.

This Wednesday the counselor Arantza Tapia will make statements in this regard.

The Provincial Council asks Arcelor for investments

For its part, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia also respects the decision of the ACB staff, but maintains its commitment to an industrial plan that transforms the plant towards the manufacture of high added value products aimed at the automotive sector.

In a statement, the institution has assured that “it maintains its commitment to an industrial plan for the Sestao plant that guarantees its viability and future”, for which it has again urged Arcelor to present “concrete investment commitments and a volume of investment that allows to activate, at least, one of the production lines of the ACB to its full capacity “.

“A plan that allows ACB to recover its tractor capacity in the Left Bank and in Bizkaia”, he added.