The workers’ assembly at the Pascual plant in Gurb has decided to call a strike on May 11 in response to what they consider a lack of dialogue from management. The workers denounce that the company has been refusing for months to open a collective bargaining process, while still not clarifying how the planned closure for July will be carried out.
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The decision to strike comes in a context of growing concern about the employees’ job future, one day after Casa Tarradellas announced the purchase of the plant with the aim of adapting it for mozzarella production. According to Col·lectiu Ronda, who advises the workforce, “there are no guarantees of job continuity” and they warn that the situation could end with significant layoffs, reports ACN.
This change involves moving the current dairy production to their facilities in Aranda de Duero in Castilla y León. In this way, the riverside capital is consolidated as one of the company’s production hubs, reinforcing its role as the company’s main center. Therefore, this relocation implies a greater concentration of activity in Aranda, although the company has not yet detailed employment or investment terms, which generates even more uncertainty among the workers.
The employees have warned that the strike will be maintained indefinitely until a “with conditions” negotiation space is achieved that allows addressing both the future of the plant and the jobs. According to them, Leche Pascual has verbally informed them that current employees will not be subcontracted. Likewise, workers have been offered the possibility of integrating into the new Casa Tarradellas structure, maintaining their gross salary and seniority. However, key aspects such as shifts or types of work have not been specified.
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The staff recalls that last September they learned through the media that both companies had reached a purchase agreement. Since then, six early retirements have occurred and, this week, the company has announced eight more layoffs due to “service reorganization,” says Col·lectiu Ronda.
Currently, the Gurb plant, inaugurated in 2005, has a workforce of 90 workers, many of whom have between 15 and 20 years of seniority. The workers’ representatives insist that the informational meetings held by management have not clarified doubts about the real impact of the change of ownership nor about the new production model they want to implement at the plant.
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