Ford, hard on Spain: it will lay off more than 1.000 workers in Valencia

The factory of Ford in Almussafes, south of Valencia, your future is guaranteed according to the American company. These facilities will be responsible for building some of the new electric cars from Ford. However, the transformation process of this plant, key to the technological transition of the oval firm in Europe, will result in the destruction of many jobs in the Spanish Levant. Layoffs have also been announced in Alcobendas (Madrid), where the brand's national subsidiary is located. About a month ago Ford said it had lost 2.000 billion euros in 2022 and could cut 3.200 jobs in Europe.

Last Friday, Ford officially announced that will perform an ERE (Employment Regulation File) at its Almussafes factory. The decision implies the departure of 1.144 workers of the company This has justified her sad measure by claiming adjustment needs in the workforce to the new expected production levels as part of a broader restructuring in the Old Continent. A has been opened 30-day period to negotiate the terms of this collective dismissal with the unions in order to minimize the impact on employees, their families and the local community.

The workers' negotiating commission is made up of a dozen members from the Valencia plant and one from the central offices in Madrid, a place where multiple layoffs are also expected. UGT (Union General de Trabajadores), which is the majority union in the factory, has indicated that the number of jobs affected makes it difficult to guarantee the voluntary nature of all the layoffs through the so-called "retirement support plans" and incentives of different kinds and amounts. Currently, Ford has almost 6.000 employees in Almussafes who are in charge of assembling the Galaxy and the S-Max, about to be discontinued in 2023, among other models.

Ford's facilities in this region of Spain are not in danger, as the US corporation signed an agreement in 2022 for Almussafes to be the place where its production is produced. new generation of electric cars from 2025. However, the less need for labor to produce these vehicles (between 30% and 50% lower), as well as the eagerness to obtain greater profitability, have been sufficient reasons to carry out the ERE in question. Definitely, the unions will take advantage of Ford's promises about the future of the Valencian plant to negotiate the best conditions in favor of those employees who must leave their posts.

El Winners will be announced in March, Ford and the unions will release new details on the negotiation process of the ERE. The multinational has assured that it will work in the most constructive way possible with the affected parties to minimize the impact of its decision, although this implies certain contempt for the territory that promoted the brand in Europe and helped its great expansion and excellent positioning in one of the most mature, solid, competitive and demanding markets in the world. If this is the cost of the famous energy and "ecological" transition that our politicians are promoting, it may be too high.

Source - Ford