Spanish metalworkers in the Basque region have started a five-day strike Nov. 28, with up to 85% of industry workers participating, a CCOO union spokesman told S&P Global Commodity Insights Nov. 29.
The strike could continue if an agreement on salary increases and other work conditions was not reached, he said.
The spokesman said that the whole chain was impacted from primary steel to the downstream segments, but declined to estimate how much production has been impacted at this stage.
As 85% of workers had adhered to the strike action, there would be a notable impact on production, the union said.
On the other hand, the regional metal association Federacion Vizcaina de Empresas del Metal said in a Nov. 28 statement that only 21% of the sector’s workers had taken part, with around two-thirds of companies operating normally.
Impacted companies include ArcelorMittal, Sidenor and Nemak, among others.
The Basque region is home to eight steel furnaces, or one-third of Spain’s total, with a combined capacity of 8,000 mt/year of crude steel.
The latest strike comes a month after the previous one. The two parties are negotiating for salary conditions covering 2022 to 2025.
— Gianluca Baratti
