Nissan’s announcement in May that it would close its factories in Barcelona came as a huge shock in the region and sparked unions and the Catalan government into action, as they demanded a negotiated exit. After 94 days of strike action and a marathon of discussions and protests, an agreement was finally reached on 5 August. While it does not offer a definite future, the agreement postpones the closure until 31 December 2021, buying the central and regional governments time to pursue potential reindustrialisation projects, by finding a taker for the facilities as well as part of the workforce.
The Japanese automobile group initially planned to cut 3,000 jobs and close all its sites in Catalonia (the Zona Franca plant and the two auxiliary production centres in Montcada y Reixach and Sant Andreu de la Barca). The agreement reached on 5 August will see two work sites (spare parts, technical centre and sales) kept open, with 510 jobs saved.
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