Trade unions and government collide over the future of Reunited Tubes due to lack of clarity
The LAB and ESK unions have called for a more active role on the part of the Basque Government and have called for firm action in defence of industrial employment and greater transparency in the ongoing negotiations. The Government has insisted that the high accumulated debt isthe main problem of Reunited Tubes.
Demonstration of the workers of Tubos Reunidos in Bilbao.
The LAB and ESK unions have today, Thursday, strongly criticised the last meeting ofthe Tubos Reunited Works Council, the Department of Industry of the Basque Government and other organizations on the situation of this company , since the EREpresented by the company affects 242 workers .
Both unions have described today's meeting as "disappointing"and"unnecessary. "They have denounced that, despite direct questions about debt, potential investors or the industrial future, the institutions have provided general explanations and avoided concretizing the measures. They have lamented that "lack of concrete answers, poor transparency and lack of clear commitments" have been the main axes of this meeting.
In this regard, the unions regret that, after weeks of waiting, the meeting did not serve to "clarify the future of the workers "or to know" the true intentions of the companies or administrations involved ".
Forits part, the Government has confirmed that the main problem with Tubos Reunidos is theaccumulated high debt for 263 million euros. According to theDeputy Minister of Industrial Promotion, Andoitz Korta , this current situation makes it unworkable to attract new investors if this financial burden is not previously significantly reduced.
All parties agree thatTubos Reunidos should attract new industrial partners. However, the Government has ensured that no investor will present its\ u00A0 debt aslongas it is disproportionate to the value of the company.
The Government considers the refinancing proposed by the SEPI to be insufficient, since it merely relaxes deadlines and interest, and says that no legal formulahas yet been found for debt relief.
The unions insist that the ERE does not solve the structural problems of the company and attribute the problem to aprolonged mismanagement . They believe that placing the solution in job cuts does not address the real origin of the crisis: indebtedness.
For this reason, the LAB and ESK unions have called for a more active role on the part of the Government, calling for greater firmness in the defence of industrial employment and greater transparency in the ongoing negotiations, in particular to act as mediators for a direct meeting between the SEPI and the works council.
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