Type
Internal restructuring
Country
Spain
Region
Centro; Castilla y León; León
Location of affected unit(s)
Ponferrada
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacturing Of Machinery And Equipment
Manufacture Of Machinery And Equipment N.E.C.
28.11 - Manufacture of engines and turbines, except aircraft, vehicle and cycle engines

351 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
6 July 2021
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date

Description

LM Windpower, the Danish multinational manufacturer of rotor blades for wind turbines, has announced a collective redundancy plan that will affect 393 workers at the wind blade plant in Ponferrada (León). 

The company has offered to relocate 25 of the affected employees to the plant in Spain (Castellón) and another 240 in France (Cherbourg) to mitigate the effects of this dismissal.

The CCOO trade union considers that the actual conditions of the sector are not consistent with the lack of economic viability claimed by the company to justify the restructuring programme. Moreover, citizens of the Bierzo region – where Ponferrada is located – have held demonstrations to oppose this collective dismissal.

Updated, 16/08/2021:

After several days of negotiations between the trade unions CCOO, USO, CGT and UGT, and the management of LM Windpower, as well as mobilisations by the workers and citizens of El Bierzo, both parties reached a pre-agreement that was voted in favour by 85.1% of the employees.

As a result, the collective redundancy will affect 351 people (42 less than the initial figure) with significant improvements in severance payments and economic benefits for the almost 250 people who will be relocated to another work centre of the same company in France.


Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2021), LM Windpower, Internal restructuring in Spain, factsheet number 105157, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/105157.