NISSAN MOTOR IBERICA TO PROPOSE A PLAN FOR JOB REGULATION AFFECTING 160 EMPLOYEES OF THE ZONA FRANCA FACTORY

NISSAN MOTOR IBERICA TO PROPOSE A PLAN FOR JOB REGULATION AFFECTING 160 EMPLOYEES OF THE ZONA FRANCA FACTORY

(March 16, 2004) Nissan Motor Iberica will present today to the Consellería of Treball and Indústria of the Catalan Government a plan for job regulation that will affect a total of 160 employees of the Zona Franca factory, excluding the plants of Cuatro Vientos and Montcada. This morning, the companys management communicated it in this way to the work council, as it was also notified in an internal note to all the workers.

Since the last collective agreement meeting, during which no progress was made, the following facts have occurred. 

On March 5, the company summoned the workers delegation of the Zona Franca and Montcada, as well as the delegation of the negotiation committees head, in order to expose the current industrial situation of the company, and requested a reflection so that negotiations would follow. After the meeting, another one was scheduled for March 11.

Because of the terrorist attacks that happened last week in Madrid, this meeting was postponed to March 15. 

The workers delegation refused yesterday to attend the meeting, alleging that they cannot negotiate if at the same time the company is making decisions over the daily activity on which they do not agree.

Top management understands that this one more proof of a lack of will to negotiate and that any objection from the unions delegation is taken as an argument to postpone even more the negotiation.   

In front of this situation, Nissan Motor Ibericas management is forced to present today a plan for job regulation that will affect 160 people of the Zona Franca, as a first measure tending to reduce the staff surplus, which has been estimated to more than 600 workers in 2006.

The management does not understand the attitude of the union delegation when in other firms of the sector agreements have been signed, containing equivalent or even more competitive proposals than those proposed by the company.  

The company stresses that competitive improvement is indispensable, and the agreement is a key to get it, in order to be able to guarantee and to assure the future viability of the company on short and long term.

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