BSH workers have started protests the day after they learned they were going to close the Ezkiro factory

One day after BSH announced the closure of the Ezkiro factory , some 200 workers have protested to the German company and prevented the director from entering. After months of negotiations, the company has informed the workers on Monday that it will not extend the deadline, ignoring the demands of the workers and the government, so that on 17 June the manufacturer of household appliances, one of the largest factories in Navarre, will close its doors.

The workers at the BSH plant in Ezkiroz had been in temporary employment regulation for more than two years. Previously, the German company had closed its factories in Etxarri Aranatz and Estella, and now the ghost announced on 16 December has materialized.

After meeting in the morning with the Government of Navarre and the Ministry of Industry, the management of the BSH yesterday morning announced to the workers that the deadline requested by the workers and the Government would not be extended and that the company would therefore be closed. This dismissal, which will take place today eight, has not only been a matter of pain and anger among the workers, but instead of standing idly by, they have chosen to tackle the problem and have already begun the first mobilizations.

It was the morning shift that was the first to stand up. It was 6:00 in the morning when some 200 workers stood in front of the factory behind a big banner with a message calling for unity, shouting that the company should not be shut down.

There have also been moments of tension when the director of the factory has tried to get into the factory with the car. The workers have sat on the floor and the police officers have tried to lift them up.

After the decision was made yesterday, two of the workers at the BSH plant in Eskiroz are now planning not to close the company and to negotiate their redundancies together. The strike will continue until 20 June. 

A workers' representation in Brussels

While the workers are protesting, a workers' delegation is in Brussels with the Commissioner for Industry and the Commissioner for Employment to claim that reindustrialisation and other business projects are possible.

Opportunities to maintain activity

The President of the Navarre Government, Maria Chivite, stated yesterday at a press conference that it is a complete mistake to close the BSH and advanced that she will work with the Ministry of Industry to contact companies that have expressed an interest in maintaining the plant's activity, according to which there is a possibility of maintaining it.

Industry Advisor Mikel Irujo highlighted the company's "lack of humanity" and pointed out that they have asked BSH for more time because there are interested investors. "The counselor has explained that they have been working since January with the help of a consulting firm and" have contacted many companies around the world. The counselor believes that the household appliance company has made its priority clear and that there are no employees there.