Tubos Reunidos has filed a creditor competition

After advancing the option at the end of April, on Monday the industrial group Tubos Reunidos filed avoluntary creditor competition in a court in Álava on the grounds of "immediate insolvency", according to the company.

In a statement, he explained that the decision was motivated by the "treasury tensions" that the company has been experiencing in recent months due to the "involuntary cessation of activity at the Amurrio (Álava) plant", where employees are on indefinite strike due to the redundancies announced.

The company has informed the National Securities and Exchange Commission (CNMV) of the situation in which it finds itself and has stated that "the premises currently necessary for the viability of the company, in particular its income, have not been guaranteed".

In this situation, the Board of Directors of the company, "maintaining the cautious attitude that has guided its activity, has been obliged to request the declaration of a voluntary competition of creditors", states the note.

According to the explanations, the decision to file the declaration of voluntary competition of creditors has been taken "after external advice and with the aim of protecting the interests of the creditors, workers, suppliers and shareholders of the company".

Tubos Reunidos to convene the Trapagaran and Amurrio Works Council for 6 May

The management of Tubos Reunidos has convened the works councils of Trapagaran and Amurrio for two meetings on 6 May.

The meeting will be at 10:30 in the morning with the Amurrio Commission and at 16:00 with the Trapagaran.  

They say the purpose of the meetings is to inform and resolve doubts. 

The Basque Government reiterates its "commitment to safeguarding the viability of a new project"

Following the announcement of the voluntary creditor competition, the Industry Advisorof the Basque Government, Mikel Jauregi, expressed on Monday the "absolute commitment of the Basque Government to support the viability of a new Tubos Reunidos project" .

The Government expresses its solidarity and support for the workers, their families and the entire region of Ayala "who have been suffering for months from the situation of the Reunited Tubes".

Jáuregui has stressed that, following the submission of the creditor competition, "a new stage has been opened for Tubos Reunidos" and has also stated that the Basque Government "has tried to prevent this situation from occurring, but unfortunately it has not been possible".

In this new phase, the Chief Executive has pointed out, priority must be given to the continuity of industrial activity and the employment of the company, while addressing "debt restructuring and the design of a solid project that will enable the construction of a viable company in the medium and long term, and we will continue to seek new investors willing to support it."

"From their respective responsibilities and competencies, they must work cooperatively to overcome the insolvency process and ensure the continuity of industrial activity in Tubos Reunidos," Jáuregui reflects.

The Inspection has registered the signatures of the workers of Tubos de Amurrio to hold an assembly and decide on the strike.

On the other hand, theLabour Inspectorate of Álava  has registered 235 signatures of the workers of Tubos Reunidos de Amurrio  to be able to convene an assembly to decide whether to maintain the indefinite strike called at the Alavesa plant. The workers supportingthe call of 7 May have requested "confidentiality"  to protect the identity of the promoters and signatories.

Last Thursday, the workers of the company informed the management and the committee that they had collected the necessary signatures to hold an assembly on 7 May and to propose to the workers whether or not to continue the indefinite strike they want a referendum and to vote on the same day if they support the consultation.

Today,withthe meeting of the Works Council , with the support of the majority of ELA, LAB and ESK, the Extraordinary Assembly proposed by the workershas been declared"null and void" because the signatures of the workers supporting the convening of that Assembly have not been submitted, an approach that has not been shared by UGT and CC.O.

Subsequently, according to trade union sources to the Europa Press agency, 235 workers have filed a complaint with the Labour Inspectorate alleging that the centre remains on indefinite strike and that there is a picket at the entrance to the factory, "hindering or preventing access to the workforce".

They also report that on 30 April an extraordinary assembly was convened for "a group of workers who reach the minimum required percentage" to decide whether or not to continue the strike. They have indicated that their intention is to hold it at the factory itself, but have expressed doubts about "safety" due to "the situation at the entrance to the factory".

Once this decision has been communicated to the Labour Inspectorate, the workers have provided a "list of the names" of the signatories to the call for "reserved verification" and have expressly requested the "confidentiality of the identity" of the promoters and sponsors of the assembly. The summoners have sent a copy of the call to the company and the committee.

The summoners, for their part, have sent a warning to the workers to announce that they will hold an assembly. Having ensured that the call is supported by Article 75 of the Collective Agreement, they have called on "everyone" to come to the assembly "safely" to "express" the staff's views on the situation in which they find themselves.