Danone staff accept plant closure offer

Staff at the Danone factory in Parets del Vallès, just north of Barcelona, have voted to accept a deal over the plant's closure 

The agreement between management and the workers' committee was endorsed by 110 votes to 14, the committee's president told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

The next step, Jordi Barragan said, will be signing the final agreement on Thursday. 

Workers began strike action on Saturday, but called it off on Monday after the preliminary agreement was reached. 

All of the workers' demands were met in the final deal, including early retirement for 33 employees aged 55 and above, compensation for dismissal, and the transfer of 37 people to the Aldaia plant in Valencia. 

'Streamlining'

French multinational Danone announced plans in January to close its factory in Parets del Vallès, located just north of Barcelona, to "streamline" activity and "gain efficiency." The closure will affect 157 workers at the factory.

In February, some 250 people protested against the decision in Barcelona. Demonstrators marched from Sants train station to Danone's headquarters in the Catalan capital, leading to moments of tension with the police during which protesters threw eggs and yogurt at the building's facade.