Management at the Martorell plant reached a formal agreement this week to manage workforce reductions tied to missing temporary employment regulation records, commonly known as ERTEs. The shortage of these documents is constraining the factory’s production flow, prompting union representatives to negotiate a plan that allows the company to temporarily send a portion of the staff home as production lines slow or halt. Talks began on September 2 and were officially recorded with the Labor Department this week, according to verified sources.
The agreement could impact the factory workforce of about 10,310 employees, with a typical day featuring suspensions that may affect around 450 workers. The planned duration spans 67 non-consecutive days and extends through December 23. Factory leadership does not rule out the possibility of revisiting the agreement if semiconductor supply issues persist, acknowledging that chip shortages have been a recurring challenge in recent months. The decision was registered with the Ministry of Labor this Wednesday and comes as a response to persistent material shortfalls that have disrupted production across multiple plants with operations in Spain.
The company’s management and plant leaders agreed to preserve the working conditions established in previous ERTEs. Affected workers will receive compensation that equals 93% of their base wages, supplemented by unemployment benefits and the company’s own contributions. Workers who are 55 years old or those with less than one year of seniority may opt out of the program upon request. The company will continue to pay the four additional payments that were part of the prior agreement. Notifications about suspensions will be issued each Monday and Thursday, aligned with the plant’s semiconductor reserves and production forecasts.