The Works Council of Tubos Reunidos Premium Threads (TRPT), located in Nanclares de Oca (Álava), has rejected the initiative of the Insolvency Administration to open negotiations for a termination ERE for the workforce, a measure proposed "while the bankruptcy proceedings remain open and the sale of the group's productive units has not yet been resolved."
In a note sent to the media, the committee details that, in the last meeting held, the Insolvency Administration conveyed to them that TRPT is only included in a subsidiary offer and that, as of today, "there is no firm buyer interest" in the Nanclares facilities.
For the representation of the workers, this scenario forces them to "intensify the search for an industrial solution and not to consider the continuity of the activity lost before the process concludes." In this sense, they emphasize that "the fact that there is no firm offer today does not justify considering our future terminated. We demand that all possibilities be exhausted before leading the workforce to dismissal."
The representative body explains that the Insolvency Administration intends to start negotiations for the ERE, despite anticipating that the situation of the sales process may be clarified in December, and that, as a temporary alternative, it has put on the table a two-month ERTE. Likewise, it has conveyed to the workforce that it cannot guarantee the payment of salaries starting from November 1.
In light of this situation, the committee states: "We denounce that we are placed in a double uncertainty: the possible loss of our jobs and the lack of guarantees regarding our income, while decisions that are crucial for the future of the company remain pending."
Consequently, the social representation demands to exhaust all options for continuity before anticipating the closure of TRPT; to actively promote the search for an offer that incorporates the plant and guarantees industrial activity and job maintenance; to ensure the payment of salaries starting from November 1; to provide transparent information about existing offers, timelines, and alternatives under consideration, and that in any labor measure adopted, the preservation of employment is prioritized.
The statement concludes with a call to attention to the business group: "We demand that the continuity of TRPT be defended with the same seriousness as that of the other productive units of the group. We do not accept that the uncertainty of the contest serves to relegate our plant. The workforce is not responsible for this situation. We do not accept that our future be considered over before the sale process is completed."