Ford’s general management in Detroit had given until January 27 for Ford Europe to present a viability plan for the Almussafes factory. Finally, said agreement has been reached.
A few days ago we reported on the negotiation that the unions and the Ford management in Europe were carrying out to guarantee an electric future for the factory in Almussafes, in Valencia.
Said agreement went through reducing the rights of the workers to make possible a greater competitiveness of the Spanish factory, which competes directly with the one that Ford has in Saarlouis, Germany, to receive the task of manufacturing two electric models in the coming years.
«The agreement allows the leading company in the sector to stay in the running within the restructuring plan of the multinational»
Finally, the agreement between Ford Europe and the unions has been reached, for which the subsidiary of the Old Continent has presented to the central detroit an adjustment plan that must convince them so that the two new models are awarded to Valencia, which currently only manufactures one model without an expiration date: the Ford Puma.
In any case, not everything is said, because now Detroit has to make the decision. If finally the two electric models do not reach Almussafes, the future of the factory beyond 2025 will be seriously damaged.
the deal
UGT It has been the union in charge of announcing an agreement that will consist of the freezing of salaries for five years, as well as other measures related to labor flexibility.
Initially, the company asked the unions for more than 6,000 workers to cut their salaries by 10%, also giving up a week of vacation and extending their shifts by 30 minutes.
Ford already previously undertook a plan to reduce the structure of the brand in Europe, also cutting 12,000 jobs and ceasing the production of models as relevant as the Mondeo, which is precisely manufactured in Almussafes.
Loading tweet…
1486791443108802564
Currently, Ford has several plants in Europe, but while those in Cologne (Germany), Craiova (Romania) and Kocaeli (Turkey) already have investment projects approved for receiving electric cars, the one in Almussafes and Saarlouis (Germany) They have been left out for now.
According to the Automotive Cluster (AVIA), the agreement “It allows the leading company in the sector to stay in the running within the restructuring plan of the multinational”.
The president of AVIA, Mónica Alegre, points out that the agreement «It has been an exercise of responsibility and generosity by all parties. The future of the sector will depend on the decision made in the coming months at the headquarters of the multinational. This agreement is, at least, an advantage on the starting grid, “he concludes.