The protests in the Cádiz shipyard scare away the contracts according to the Employers' Association

The Cádiz employers have shown their "deep concern" about the "serious consequences" that the announcement of an indefinite strike since Monday by the Metal Workers Coordinator has for the Cádiz shipyard, after the Navantia committee has confirmed the departure of some boats that were contracted for this summer at the factory.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
12 July 2023 Wednesday 16:53
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The protests in the Cádiz shipyard scare away the contracts according to the Employers' Association

The Cádiz employers have shown their "deep concern" about the "serious consequences" that the announcement of an indefinite strike since Monday by the Metal Workers Coordinator has for the Cádiz shipyard, after the Navantia committee has confirmed the departure of some boats that were contracted for this summer at the factory.

This protest occurs as a result of the dismissal of four workers by the Mecamansol company, dedicated to mechanical work in the shipyard.

The Federation of Metal Companies of Cádiz (FEMCA) and the Association of the Naval Auxiliary Industry have explained in a statement that the mere call for the strike, which has not been endorsed by the majority of workers, has resulted in the cancellation of "at least three civilian ships" that were scheduled for repairs.

"This situation has generated uncertainty among cruise ship owners, who are evaluating, in turn, whether it is still viable to carry out their "refits" in a destination that, due to attitudes such as those of the members of the convening union, endanger the reputation of the sector and employment in the Bay of Cádiz", lament business organizations.

Now, the lack of workload, until at least into the month of October, threatens to deprive the Cádiz shipyard of "a summer that was expected to be promising."

This alert started in the morning from the Navantia de Cádiz works council, whose president, José Antonio Bolaños, denounced the departure this Wednesday of the first ship, the upcoming early departure of another on Saturday and the confirmation that the third will also do so on July 21 in advance, to avoid the effects of the strike.

According to Bolaños, "what was going to be the first summer in this factory with a guaranteed workload from June to September" is in danger, due to the insecurity that this strike has generated in the assembly companies, which does not have the support of any majority union nor any assembly of workers.

FEMCA and IAN have questioned the legitimacy of the Metal Coordinator, "which has only 13 delegates, compared to 960 in the sector", to call a strike that affects the entire naval industry.

Both organizations refer to the alleged breach of the labor agreement used by the union, and believe that the appropriate way to address this situation is through the Labor Inspectorate and not by calling a strike that has caused such harmful consequences.

The auxiliary industry has called votes in each of the companies on supporting the strike or not, and, for now, the result is 21 votes in favor and 278 against.

The Coordinadora de Trabajadores del Metal has been leading mobilizations for several days for the dismissal of four workers from a subcontractor and in demand for improvements in compliance with the collective agreement and was the one that organized a protest that altered last Sunday the rally in Cádiz de the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz.