In the same vein, the head of Michelin in Vitoria has said that “the future of the Michelin factories in Euskadi depends on an honest and constructive social dialogue.”
The Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, defended this Monday the need for the CAV to have a “stable environment” that allows it to attract new investments and emphasized that for this it is crucial to have “labour relations” that “take precedence give to construction over destruction. “
The Lehendakari made this reflection after his visit to the Michelin factory in Vitoria, where he was present in the company of the Minister of Industry, Mikel Jauregi.
After the visit and meeting with factory managers, the Lehendakari appeared at a press conference with the person in charge of the factory, David Udakiola, who warned that “the future of the Michelin factories in Euskadi depends on an honest and constructive dialogue.
The Lehendakari has pointed out that Euskadi, as an ‘industrial country’, is not immune to moments of unrest global economic uncertainty which also affect the automotive sector due to competition with the Asian and American markets.
He has chosen to “take advantage of the European industrial renaissance” so that Euskadi becomes a “champion” in areas such as mobility and the automotive industry, in which he has emphasized that it is a reference, and that represents the challenge of energy transition and decarbonization.
It has insisted on promoting and guaranteeing the competitiveness of companies such as Michelin and their placement Euskadi “as the spearhead of Southern Europe”. He has indicated that this must be shared and has assumed that it is up to the Basque institutions to create the best conditions to support business.
To this end, he has emphasized the importance of creating “stability environments“to continue attracting new investments to Euskadi and to grow current investments, which translates into having “labor relations based on dialogue, negotiation and agreement” with a social-labor culture “that prioritizes building above destruction”.
In the same vein, the factory director has made it clear that “the social peace is and will remain a fundamental pillar to face the company’s challenges and has warned that “the future of the Michelin factories in Euskadi depends on an honest and constructive social dialogue.”
The factory is involved in the plan agreed between the committee and management in December 2023 to shed 150 redundant staff through incentivized sick leave and care contracts. The plan did not receive unanimous support from the unions, as it was ratified by CCOO, UGT and CSIF, but rejected by ELA, LAB, ESK and CGT.
On the labor front, Udakiola has also stressed that absenteeism is a problem that threatens competitiveness “as a company and as a country”. “It damages our image and endangers the confidence of the Michelin Group in our factories. It requires the joint effort of everyone and we must tackle this with a collective commitment,” he asserted.
‘We are dealing with A overregulation This complicates activity and there is a context of overcapacity of production in Europe that could result in lower production and job losses,” Udakiola emphasizes.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
