Prospects in the auxiliary industry
The abrupt layoff of 1,622 workers announced by Ford at Almussafes is a new blow not only for the Valencian factory, but for the entire those auxiliary companies whose business is more or less connected with the oval firm. Failure, a priori more serious than expected, which, as explained yesterday, from UGT and working committees will not have a translation in the form large layoffs in the supplier park. Not because the impact of so many cuts, driven by falling production at a plant that recently lost the Transit van and which will also see engine production cut, is negligible, but because a significant part of personnel changes in auxiliary companies has already been carried out in recent times.
The work excludes the use of the RED mechanism in Ford Almussafes
Sector context
“These departures have already happened. They couldn’t hold on like Ford.” This is the message he sent Daniel Argente, Secretary General of the Federation of Industries UGT-PV, who added that this decline in the US firm’s production was “already being felt by suppliers” recently, forcing them to make “movements”. In this context, the leader of Uguetista does not believe that will happen, at least in the near future, transcendental adjustments.
In a similar vein it was shown his colleague from CC OO-PV Juan José Picaso. How he reasoned today”We cannot measure the number of jobs that could be destroyed. with ERE.” And although he remembered that the usual proportion is usually that each position destroyed in production leads to two or three positions in the supporting industry, which in this case would mean from 3000 to 5000 layoffs in a fleet of suppliers, which today numbers about 20,000 people– due to “production uncertainty surrounding Ford, it is possible that the consequences of the file are negligible.”
Ford announces 1,622 layoffs in Almussafes due to new ERE
The future is more complex
However, looking to the future, both unions warned that yes, there may be important blows. Argente stressed that perhaps at the end of this year or early next, Ford will have to start deciding which firms will supply the parts from which the multi-energy and global vehicle confirmed by the multinational will be produced for Almussafes, starting in 2027. The ante of this situation, as happened, for example, last year with Lear, “for those who are not chosen files or even permanent closure may occur”, the trade union representative emphasized. For this reason, he demanded that “the measure applied to Ford, including the network mechanism requested not only by the plant employees, but also by Consell and CEV, be extended to the entire vehicle.”
In its turn, Piebald He focused not only on the context that the ancillary industry would face, but also on the plant itself, and the difficult road ahead until the new car arrived. “This The gravity of the situation at Ford is that there are more layoffs and no workload forecast until 2027.“- emphasized the head of the “Central Committee OO-FE Industry” direction, warning that “either we will give it a load, or it will not be achieved by 2027.” Kuga It will sell less and less, and its production will have to be reduced by 2027. “This puts the plant in an extremely serious situation,” he said.
Compromise asks that Ford’s help be stopped before ERE and Mason remember what the Botanist gave.
For now, the AVIA cluster, which brings together companies in the ancillary sector in the autonomy, clarified on Wednesday that they will continue to work on “supporting companies in the ancillary sector in the transition period until the emergence of a new model” and on “facilitating the sector to be ready for new challenges.”
Consell and the employers’ association CEV’s request to the government to approve the RED mechanism at the Ford plant and thus help the plant and its supporting industry cope with the difficult situation was rejected yesterday by the Ministry of Labor, which was emphasized in statements. EFE said that this indicator of labor flexibility is not being discussed today, although it is open to studying the measures proposed before the ERE in Almussafes. From the region led by Yolanda Diaz, they stressed that if this mechanism is approved, it will affect the entire automotive sector in Spain and assured that there are alternative routes that can be explored before the elimination of jobs, such as ERTE. Moreover, in her statements to TVE, the second vice president herself criticized the ERE, “which affects more than a thousand employees of a company that has eloquent benefits.”
However, throughout the day, the issue was also marked by a clash between the central government and allies in the Community, such as the Compromís and the Consell del PP, over who should make a move in this situation. In particular, government delegate Pilar Bernabe stressed that the executive is ready to “seek all possible formulas and to collaborate and support those who have the competence to develop industrial policy in this community that is the Generalitat.” More critical was Compromís representative Joan Baldovi, who announced that they would introduce a law in Les Corts to ensure that companies receiving public money will not be able to move their production or lay off workers, and if they do so, they must return these subsidies. .
The President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mason, recalled the assistance provided by the Botanist and emphasized that he hopes that “things will improve and I will work to ensure that the situation improves.” For her part, Industry Minister Nuria Montes demanded that the government not shirk its responsibilities and fulfill “its obligations” by activating the Network Mechanism.
Beyond politics, the president of the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE), Vicente Boluda, assured that “ERE in companies created in the Community will never” seem positive to him, but added that “the company knows what it is doing.” . SP/Diego Aitor San Jose