Spain’s UGT Union said Aug. 6 it welcomed an agreement reached between automaker Nissan and striking workers at its Barcelona-based plant that confirms activity at the site until December 2021.
The two sides reached an agreement Aug.5 after a consultation period concluded June 30, that will avoid the immediate closure of the plant, UGT said.
The agreement will end a three-month strike by the workers, who will resume production at the end of August at the three sites concerned.
The Barcelona site has a capacity for 200,000 vehicles per year, but produced only about a quarter of that total in 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, vehicle production fell to near zero across Spain, prompting Nissan to announce May 28 its intention to close its plant as part of a global restructuring plan.
The two sides will continue to seek a long-term solution, which could include a “re-industrialization” of the site, the union said.
— Gianluca Baratti
