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The template of Continental will go to the strike to the “immobility” of the company A German multinational dwells in the Catalan town to the more industrial-Continental announces a cut to 5,040 jobs and leaves in the air the future of the plant of Ruby

The German multinational Continental Automotive has announced that on the 5th of February will present the documentation to put in place a Record of Employment Regulation (ERE) to lay off 760 workers at the plant in Rubí, Barcelona. "Given the rupture caused by the strike call and the constant demands by the legal representatives of the staff, negotiate the conditions of termination of labor contracts, Continental has raised the need of framing the negotiation in the legal framework since the process of a collective dismissal", has justified the company in a press release. The intention is that it is a process of closing progressive that lasts two years.

Continental has assured in a statement that it is negotiating with several business groups and investors with the sale of the facilities in Ruby, and that their intention is to keep open the plant and to save the maximum of jobs. “But that will depend on the buyers. Also, you need to first have an expiry of contracts,” adds a company spokesperson.

The alarm went off in November when Continental, based in Germany, said that it opened a period of six months of negotiation with the trade unions to decide how to face the future of the facilities of Ruby. The company is immersed in a giant restructuring plan to adapt to the future of the electric car and announced the cut of different factories spread all over the world. In the Ruby mounted to the front panel of vehicles, one of the parties that will be most affected by the electrification of the vehicle fleet. The company believes that the plants of Ruby “with your current portfolio of products and settings, as they are not profitable, nor have been able to find alternative products in the portfolio of the company to replace the current production”.

on Wednesday the company has met with the unions to address the future of the plant. At the meeting, the committee of company, in addition to defend the reconversion and modernization of the plant, has asked to open the melon on the conditions of the layoffs, in the event that give the worst-case scenario, “since up until now the company has not openly expressed his intentions”, has criticized Josep Rueda, secretary general of Industry of CC OO in the area. “Obviously we have started to think that maybe not everyone is going to have a place in the future re-industrialisation”, he adds.

The company ensures that the 5 of February, when is expected a new meeting with the workers, submit the documentation with the conditions of the dismissals and will initiate the ERE. All in all, Continental insists that the termination of the contracts will not be immediate, but the process can extend until the end of 2021. In parallel, the company ensures that it has requested the mediation of the Labour Department of the Generalitat.

The trade union CC OO has expressed its "concern" and consider that a "hasty decision of the company" the fact of having announced the sale of the plant "without first having linked the process of re-industrialisation". In addition, make sure that you analyze the record to "ensure the best possible conditions for the template".

The workers are summoned to a one-day strike on 24 January, which adds to that already held the past day 15, with an overall follow-up of the template.

Date Of Update: 22 January 2020, 21:00