Nissan staff stage protests one year after announcement to close plants

Nissan workers are protesting on Friday, the day that marks one year since the Japanese carmaker announced intentions to close its plants in Catalonia. 

Staff members have gone on strike today, walked out of the factory, and cut the Ronda Litoral ring road that circulates Barcelona.

The workers burned tyres outside the plant too, located in the Zona Franca industrial area of the Catalan capital. 

Unions have called for a two-hour strike to show the anger of the workforce over the decision made one year ago, which will bring an end to 40 years of operation in Catalonia.

Months of uncertainty preceded the announcement of the automaker shutting up shop. 

Over 3,000 people work at the Japanese carmaker's five plants in Catalonia and unions say that this decision will not only affect them but also another 20,000 jobs indirectly.

Last May, Nissan workers began a strike that lasted four months before production finally resumed in August. Throughout the summer of 2020, various protests were held by the Nissan staff to voice their anger at closing the factories. 

Uncertainty

One year on, uncertainty about who or what will replace Nissan in the factories remains.

After 10 meetings, the reindustrialization committee - made up of Nissan, the Catalan government, the Spanish government, and workers' unions - has received 17 project proposals from 13 companies. Some of those interested are Belgian manufacturer Punch, a hub of 10 companies led by the Catalan QEV, and the Swedish Inzile and Volta.

The next meeting is on June 7, when authorities will begin to decide which projects meet the requirements and can continue being considered, a phase that should be completed before October.

Unions have harshly criticized the committee's lack of progress. Workers' representatives regret that the administrations are not doing enough to find an investor that can match what Nissan has offered. The initiatives presented so far are "minor" and do not guarantee the same employment as the Japanese manufacturer, they say.

Low productivity

The head of Nissan in Europe, Gianluca de Ficchy, argued last year that competitiveness at the Catalonia plants is too low. According to him, the production in Barcelona is now at 20% of the total capacity, and it was expected to drop more in the near future. 

For him, the plant "needed big investments in order to be up to date," and the plans to make it more competitive were frustrated by Mercedes withdrawing production of its pick-up vehicle, which accounted for 57% of the total production. 

Soon after the announcement, workers began to protest outside the company's Barcelona and Montcada i Reixac plants, and the march at the Catalan capital's factory moved towards the city center, cutting the Ronda Litoral ring road and Gran Via.