The Supreme Court’s Labor Chamber confirmed the settlement between the Alcoa group and workers’ representatives, endorsing a plan that phases out the templates enabling former employees to claim the agreed compensation in exchange for their departure. In this narrative, Parter Capital—subsequently renamed Alu Ibérica and later sold to Grupo Industrial Riesgo—emerges as a party cleared of criminal liability in the contested sale. This decision brings to a close a prolonged and intricate chapter in a high-stakes industrial dispute that has involved a web of stakeholders, financial structures, and regulatory reviews spanning Spain’s manufacturing sector. The ruling underscores a carefully balanced approach to corporate reorganization within a modern European economy, where labor rights and business continuity are weighed together with legal scrutiny and market realities.
Earlier in the year, negotiations between the company and the unions laid the groundwork for a structured framework, which gained momentum by September after workers’ councils cast their votes. Roughly five hundred employees across the Avilés and La Coruña facilities participated in approving the agreement, with their consent carrying substantial weight in stabilizing production after a period of uncertainty. Even before the Supreme Court’s final affirmation, the settlement was crafted to prevent additional litigation by securing the go-ahead from the regional work authorities in Galicia and the Principality for the employment regulation dossier (ERE). The arrangement then received formal confirmation from the commercial courts overseeing the La Coruña and Oviedo plants, anchoring the plan’s legality and detailing its practical implementation across multiple sites. The Supreme Court’s approval ultimately signals alignment between management and labor representatives with national labor standards and the agreed terms for a phased transition.
The agreement, now validated at the highest judicial level, provides explicit relief to former Alcoa employees. It stipulates sixty days of salary for each year worked, calculated on an unlimited basis, alongside a one-time payment of 10,000 euros distributed evenly among all workers affected by the change. This compensation package recognizes the contributions of the workforce during the company’s era of operation and is designed to smooth the transition for departing personnel while preserving the continuity of operations for the remaining staff and the overall corporate structure. The decision highlights a broader balance between worker rights and strategic restructuring a common feature in large-scale manufacturing changes. In practical terms, the plan seeks to minimize disruption, deliver fair severance, and offer a clear, predictable path for retirees and new entrants in the reorganized production environment.