A relocation plan from Amazon would move about 190 workers from the Martorelles facility to other company sites in the Barcelona province. As announced a month earlier, these employees account for roughly 20% of the 800 staff who will determine their futures once the logistics warehouse closes. Unions view this figure as far from sufficient, threatening prolonged strikes if relocations are not expanded and compensation improves for those not covered by insurance.
Negotiations between Amazon’s Martorelles management and the workforce have entered the final phase. The legal consultation window closed this Sunday, yet both sides were summoned for a fresh round of talks next Tuesday. Unions hope to reach an agreed closure plan for the factory.
Currently, negotiations are described as stalled, according to the works council, with no clear push from Amazon to move toward a closer agreement. The company has surfaced offers that appear to meet only legal minimums. Worker representatives, who visited the factory on Thursday to speak with various political groups at the Catalan Parliament, report that Amazon is proposing to relocate 152 warehouse workers to the El Prat de Llobregat headquarters on full-time contracts, alongside 30 workers on a permanent discontinuous contract. Six additional middle-management roles could be added to these positions.
To apply pressure, unions filed six complaints with the Labor Inspectorate this Thursday, alleging violations of occupational risk prevention protocols. They also claim that administration officials pressed for police intervention to disperse information pickets at the warehouse gates throughout the day.
Amazon demands police presence against protesters
Martorelles mayor Marc Candela confirmed last Wednesday that an Amazon executive called to request agents and a cleanup of demonstrations. The mayor replied that municipal security powers lie with the Generalitat de Catalunya, and there was no justification to disperse protests so long as demonstrators were not breaking the law.
According to El Periódico de Catalunya from the Prensa Ibérica group, Amazon has already urged Martorelles town hall to grant favorable treatment for its installation and expansion through municipal permits.
The next, sixth meeting between company management and the workers is scheduled for next Tuesday. It will take place at the Headquarters building, the Ministry of Labor mediation site on Albareda street in Barcelona. This venue has hosted mediation for other major labor disputes recently, such as Nissan, where discussions led to the restructuring of thousands of jobs before stabilizing at a smaller figure. Today, the focus is on the 800 remaining positions.
2.5 million euros per year
Unions are pressing for greater relocation clarity. They told the committee this Thursday that the scope of work in Barcelona must be fully considered and that compensation for those who stay should improve, because the current offer includes 23 days of work per year, above the legal minimum of 20. For workers moving to Zaragoza or Far d’Empordà, salaries would drop by roughly 600 to 700 euros monthly, which is not acceptable for many employees.
A further factor on the table concerns the eventual exit date from Martorelles. The site’s original tenure began with a 10-year lease in 2017 with the landowner, at an annual rent of about 2.5 million euros. This means the company will need to resolve land-related issues with the landlord before any future buyer or successor can negotiate a replacement, adding another layer of negotiation to the broader relocation plan.