In recent weeks, some of the most important industrial companies that have factories in Spain have announced cuts in their production that, if they are maintained over time, are going to move to employment. "Of not acting urgently, the work future of workers from strategic industrial sectors is going to be threatened by the announcements of ends of activity, delocalisations of productions outside our country and application of ERTE and ERE, some of which are already They are producing ", alert the UGT Industry Federation. These companies involved in this first wave of production reduction generate some 20,000 jobs, many of which are in danger if the current situation of high energy prices persists.
The Spanish Electrointensive industry -Metalurgy, steel, cement, chemistry, ceramic, ...- has always complained about the high energy cost that I endured against France or Germany, for example, which submitted competitiveness to the products manufactured here. But now we are in "the perfect storm" of the increase in energy costs, in electricity, gas, oil and CO2, as Andrés Barceló, General Director of the Unesid employer. Although the price rise is general, it affects the sector more in Spain by the deficient energy policy of the Government, which promotes rising prices. In September, for example, the Spanish industry has paid the most expensive energy in Europe: 102.55 euros MW / H, compared to 43.83 euros of France and 69.19 of Germany.
This translates into a loss of medium-term competitiveness that can put at risk the survival of some of the facilities in our country: "Industrial groups of the sector relocate production, with the consequent risk of closing productive capacities and loss of employment" , they say in UGT. So far, no company has officially announced personnel reductions, but fear begins to feel among workers and the company committees.
ArcelorMittal, the largest steel group of the world employs 8,000 people in Spain and will perform "short and selective stops" in some plants in Europe, including the Gipuzcoanas de Orasabería and Bergara. SIDENOR has reported that the price of electricity that pays has increased by 300% in the last year, which translates into an increase of 25% in production costs. The company has decided to stop the production of its largest plant, in Basauri (Vizcaya), twenty days until the end of the year. Sidenor employs 1,500 people in our country. The Spanish multinational Celsa has not announced any paron of its production, but warns that "probably" it will arise if this situation is maintained; CELSA directly employs 7,500 people around the world.
The chemical company FertiberiaCounts with some 1,400 workers in Spain and Portugal and decided to paralyze one of its plants, which gives 148 people work. The company has communicated to the unions that, at the moment, it has no plans on the template. Asturiana de Zinc gives work to 1,000 people and at the end of September began to reduce production a few hours a day from the San Juan de Nieva plant (Asturias) and Ferroatlántica, which has about 550 employees, has closed one of the four ovens that It has in Boo de Guarnizo (Cantabria) and studies taking its production to France and Norway.
Fernando Roig, president of the Pamesa Azuléjero Group, affirmed yesterday on these pages that he will have to have an impact on prices in the prices: "There is no more remedy. The ups will be between 10% and 20%" and it is Apply as immediately: as of November 1. But in a globalized economy this is a double-edged weapon, because it can pose a loss of clients and a reduction in billing that, to dessert, affect the employment of companies.
Date Of Update: 20 October 2021, 08:02
