Thousands of people support the workers of the Mercedes-Benz factory in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Euskaraz irakurri: Milaka pertsonak Mercedes-Benz lantegiko beharginei babesa adierazi diete Gasteizen

Thousands of people have participated this Wednesday in the demonstration in support of the workers of the Mercedes-Benz factory in Vitoria-Gasteiz, during the second day of the strike called by the ELA, LAB and ESK unions, which has paralyzed production again on the plant.

The strike has paralyzed production again, according to sources from the convening centrals who have encrypted the follow-up of this Wednesday’s strike in a 95%.

This day of strike is part of the mobilizations that are taking place in this company, the largest in the Basque Country with around 5,000 workers, demanding improvements in the collective agreement and precedes another day of strike called tomorrow, this time in a unitary way by all the unions of the works council.

Sources from the centrals who have called today’s strike have indicated that the 95% of assembly line workers they are supporting the strike, soe “no vehicles being produced”.

From the management of the plant, no information has been provided at the moment on the follow-up of this new strike day, the second to be held after the first strike at this plant in 20 years took place last Wednesday and which also paralyzed the production.

Demonstration in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Photo: EFE

That day there were two separate strike calls, one by ELA, LAB and ESK, and the other by UGT and CC. OO. On that day, the unions also estimated the follow-up of the strike at 95%, while the management lowered it to 75%. Tomorrow the call to strike is unitary.

At the start of the strike this Wednesday there have been no incidents. The pickets have been at the main entrance doors where there was also a significant police presence, according to the organizers.

This morning a workers’ assembly was held in which it was agreed to call off the strike that ELA, LAB and ESK maintained for this Friday and to convene that day the committee to add more unitary strikes next week to the one already scheduled for July 6. At that meeting, the holding of a general assembly has also been demanded.

Confidence of the Basque Government in dialogue and negotiation

In parallel, the spokesman for the Basque Government, Bingen Zupiria, reiterated on Tuesday his confidence that heas and the workers of Mercedes and the company overcome their differences through dialogue and negotiation. In addition, he has recalled that the presence of Mercedes is “strategic” for Euskadi, and, therefore, the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, will travel to Germany to support his new investment.

Urkullu will meet next July in Stuttgart (Germany) with the CEO of Mercedes Benz to transfer the support of the Basque Government to the investment project presented by the multinational for its plant in Vitoria-Gasteiz; Zupiria has insisted that the Executive respect the decisions adopted by the different Company Committees on behalf of the Mercedes workers, alluding to the mobilizations and strikes that it has organized, and has not wanted to make “any reading” of the coincidence of the date of the workers’ strike for July 6, the day on which Urkullu travels to Germany.