A deep disappointment has taken over the Marie Claire staff, but also the town where it is located, Vilafranca, and its region, Els Ports, these days. They are waiting to confirm the latest news about the direction of the stockings and pantyhose company, after the deadline to find investors to take over the company expired last Monday. Days ago, the company C2 Private Capital had withdrawn its offer after creditors raised objections, as explained by the unions. Now, it is the Commercial Court number 1 of Castellón that must decide on the bankruptcy.
However, union sources explain these days that discouragement is spreading among all those involved because it seems that the company is headed for liquidation, which would be the next step. To do this, the extended ERTE would have to be converted into an ERE of extinction for the 78 workers who currently remain in the factory in Vilafranca del Cid, the Castellón town that a few months ago activated the so-called "Mesa de Vilafranca" to look for employment alternatives to the region after the blow that the closure of the company would mean.
The presentation of an offer and its subsequent withdrawal has plunged the workers' group into disappointment, and has led to harsh criticism from the unions. For CCOO-PV, everything was "a hoax" because when it came to requiring justification of economic solvency and explaining which businessmen were behind it, "ignorance" was taken. For its part, UGT-PV described the situation as "frustration" after having expectations that have now fallen and, therefore, has demanded explanations for the withdrawal of the offer.
The same unions have these days accused the Valencian Government of inaction and have accused it of lack of will to promote employment plans that would provide an alternative to the productive fabric of the area.
The mayor of the town where the company is based, Sílvia Colom, assures La Vanguardia that she hopes that, if a new offer is presented, "it will be for the best" so that the workers who are now in ERTE will have "a new opportunity." . Colom considers that Marie Claire is a company "necessary in the region and in Vilafranca", and calls for a regional strategic plan "to continue maintaining jobs in the area", one of the areas most affected by depopulation in the Valencian Community.
In this regard, this Tuesday, the spokesperson and Minister of the Treasury, Ruth Merino, stated that, for the moment, the Consell does not have any evidence of the progress of the process or the existence of other offers. "Officially we only know that the other offer was withdrawn," said the counselor, who avoided speculating about the latest published information. "Merino promised to act "responsibly and, as always, thinking about the workers and a possible, hopefully, viability and continuity of the company."
The company, founded in 1907, acknowledged less than a year ago that it had been facing financial difficulties for some time, which it had not been able to overcome "despite the efforts of the last management in reducing and optimizing costs that it has carried out." Its critical financial situation, together with the accumulated debts and the effects of the pandemic, failed to overcome the situation of the firm, which also suffered from the increase in energy costs, which has led to an increase in electricity and gas by more than 300%. a rise in raw material prices of more than 35% and a collapse in the supply chain that has affected production and distribution times.
