Workers at the Cerámicas Bellavista factory in Dos Hermanas, owned by Roca, have locked themselves inside the building in protest at the company’s proposed reduction in the workforce.
The company has filed a Labour Force Adjustment Plan (ERE) which will affect 191 of the 242 existing employees. Cerámicas Bellavista intend to keep its offices, warehouse and logistics centre for the purposes of marketing and distribution, but will transfer the entire production side to Alcalá de Guadaíra, about eleven kilometres away.
The company has decided upon this course of action as a result of the slowdown in the construction industry. The effects of the decline in the construction sector began to hit the company in 2007 but worsened drastically in 2008.
The employees held a meeting to decide what action to take and then chose to stage a lock-in protest. The exits to the factory have been sealed and the Local Police are now trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the situation.