Fight against the closing of Alcoa: from the barricades to nationalization

The announcement by the American multinational Alcoa that it will promote the collective dismissal of 534 workers at its aluminum plant in San Cibrao (Lugo), which in practice points to the closure of the factory, has already translated into a storm at the labor level. and politician who this Friday has raised the tone. While the workers blocked access to the facilities with fire barricades and asked for the nationalization of the factory, the Government has asked the company to rethink the decision and reminded them that they have received 38 million euros "on the condition of keep the job. "

The workers were the first to react and as of 7:30 am they blocked the main access to the plant. They installed two barricades with wheels and set them on fire to show their opposition to a collective dismissal decision that endangers the only aluminum producer that it retains in Spain after the closure of the ones it had in Avilés (Asturias) and A Coruña and supposes a serious threat to the economy of the A Mariña area in Lugo.

In addition to the mobilizations, the works council has also entered the political path and, in statements collected by the Efe agency, its president, José Antonio Zan, called for a nationalization of the factory, alleging that it is "feasible and viable" for the production of primary aluminum and to save jobs.

In this way, he put the ball on the roof of the central government, reminding him that he has a mechanism that he did not have before and that he has the authorization of the European Union: "it is called intervention by companies at risk of crisis."

The debate on nationalization was already opened this Thursday by Galician parties such as the BNG and the Vice President of the Government, Pablo Iglesias, who assured that these government interventions in private companies "are perfectly possible in the Spanish Constitution." This Friday, in an interview on the Cadena Cope, the Minister of Industry, Reyes Maroto, replied, however, that "whenever there is a private initiative, the government has to accompany."

Stewardship

At this point, he asks the owner company for "co-responsibility" and announced that they are going to speak with unions, the company and the Xunta to address the situation and support the workers to "not lose productive capacity". In addition, he reminded him of those 38 million public aid injected by the Government in the Lugo plant that, in case of continuing with the collective dismissal, he would have to return.

The Minister of Finance and government spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, also does not speak of nationalization, but she does speak of one of the focuses on which attention has focused in the last few hours due to its impact on Alcoa's economic situation, the new statute electrointensive whose processing is paralyzed. He has announced that it will be resumed "as soon as possible", because although the standard was already "very advanced", the pandemic interrupted its processing.

Montero asks the US multinational to rethink the collective dismissal and insists that the central government is working "very intensively" to help this type of industry.

Electrointensive statute

This government work is not so clearly seen by the president of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who this Friday has asked the central executive to clarify "if he wants" that industries like Alcoa continue to operate in the country and has installed the State officials that if they bet on its permanence they approve a statute for electrointensive prices that makes it "viable" and "competitive" to produce primary aluminum in Spain.

The Galician PP leader has assured that "if someone is not taken by surprise" Alcoa's announcement "is to the Government, because" he was warned that Alcoa could not operate at the energy prices that exist in Spain "and, without However, it has not made progress on a solution: the status of the electro-intensive has been in the pipeline for more than a year.

The senators of the PP for the affected province, Lugo, Juan Manuel Juncal and José Manuel Barreiro, believe that the situation of Alcoa is the result of "the ineffectiveness and lack of understanding" between the ministers of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and Industry and, after recalling that the continuity of the only primary aluminum factory in Spain is at risk, they request the appearance of both in Congress.

The general secretary of the Galician socialists, Gonzalo Caballero, demanded that the central government of his party "study all the possibilities" to guarantee the employment of the factory, but denied those criticisms that the Executive of Pedro Sánchez did not support the factory to his permanence, since he recalled that those 38 million public aid payments of the last two years make Alcoa "one of the most supported industries in the State".

Like Minister Montero, she appeals to the responsibility of the company and urges them to "rectify" the collective dismissal and also puts the ball on the roof of the Xunta, an administration that she asks to "demonstrate the ability to get involved and work cooperatively "with the government of Spain" to offer a "unitary and forceful position" against what would entail the closure of one of the two Alcoa plants in Lugo

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

• Spain
• Lugo
• PP
• Reyes Maroto
• European Union
• Teresa Ribera
• Pablo Iglesias
• BNG
• Maria Jesus Montero
• Alberto Núñez Feijoo
• Asturias

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