Problems facing the automotive industry will continue into 2025. While easing since early in the year, the semiconductor shortage remains a concern as major suppliers expand production and new factories come online. The question now is when the shortage will fully ease. Logistics congestion affects both assembly sites, such as Stellantis Vigo, where vehicles enter Bouzas and disperse to locations like Plisan, Rande, or Campas de Porriño. Faced with this reality and despite the long-standing awareness of the issue, management at the olive factory is compelled to negotiate a new ERTE for the coming year. Documents were handed to the works council yesterday, and negotiations are set to begin in January.
This Thursday the factory will close until January 3, and plant managers met yesterday with the works council for the final meeting of the year. During the session, the calendar for the next year was the main topic. The plan, supported by SIT and UGT, includes a two-week holiday in August from the 7th to the 20th, pending a final confirmation. For older workers, eight working days will be corrected and two contract days are determined.
Regarding production, three Sundays (the 8th, 15th, and 29th) are scheduled in January under two shifts, and two Saturdays (the 14th and 21st) are available on a voluntary basis in an effort to recover lost production days from the past year.
Plan
Beyond the calendar, another item for discussion was the new temporary employment regulation file. Unions explained that factory management officially signaled the intent to begin negotiations next year, a development that has been anticipated but remains unsettled. No specifics were provided about how negotiations would unfold during the meeting. Those in charge at Vigo were not present to submit documents to the works council this week as preparations move forward.
ERTE, approved for this year with the support of SIT, UGT, and CC OO, allows 60 days and can extend to 75 days. Access is granted for permanent staff after working hours, contract leave, and time pools are completed, as well as after 20 days of inactivity.
Zaragoza
The situation differs for employees in Figueruelas, Zaragoza, where the Stellantis plant also faces logistics congestion with thousands of cars parked in a field. Rubén Alonso, head of the works council, explained to Onda Cero that negotiations are under a clock as the deal is due this week. In Aragon, ERTE durations reach 60 days and can extend to 80 days after approval, with contingents signed for 2022 by UGT, CC OO, and CGT; a pattern similar to the group’s Villaverde plant in Madrid.
France prepares 1.1 billion euro aid for electric cars
France’s Industry Minister Roland Lescure announced that the government will launch an aid package of 1,100 million euros next year to support the automotive sector in continuing the development of electric vehicles and components for the vehicles of tomorrow. This commitment was shared during a visit to the Stellantis engine factory in Tremery and is part of the France 2030 plan. In attendance was Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, who discussed support for electric car production and emphasized that all companies in the automotive supply chain—from manufacturers to subcontractors and startups—will be able to participate. [Citation: French government and Stellantis statements].