Strike action has been called off at a Danone plant in Spain the company plans to close, with the French giant reaching a deal with union officials.
In a statement sent to Just Food, Danone said a deal had been finalised “in principle”.
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The agreement will “be submitted for ratification by the workers’ assembly tomorrow [20 March]”. Danone added “normal activity” had now resumed at the plant in Parets del Vallès north of Barcelona.
The Oikos yogurts owner declined to provide more details on the deal.
Reports from local news site Crónica Global indicate Danone has agreed to close the plant by the end of 2024 at the earliest, with the possibility of extending the closure date to the first quarter of 2025.
The strike came as a result of Danone’s intentions to shutter the Parets del Vallès site, which it announced in January. Danone made no mention at the time of when it planned to close the factory.
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By GlobalDataWorkers had originally planned an 11-day strike from 16 March to 27 March, the Catalonian trade union Comissió Obrera Nacional de Catalunya (CCOO), announced last week.
Just Food has contacted the CCOO for comment.
When Danone announced its plan to shut the site, it said the move was “part of a local rationalisation process with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of brands and gaining industrial efficiency.”
The closure was expected to affect around 157 workers, local reports from Spanish news agency Europa Press suggested.
Danone invested €12m ($13m) into building a new production line at the Parets del Vallès plant in 2021, dedicated to producing plant-based yogurts under the Alpro brand.
The Danette puddings manufacturer owns eight facilities in Spain, excluding Parets del Vallès. Besides its two HQs in Barcelona and Madrid, it also manages factories in Aldaya (Valencia), Rooms (Asturias), Sant Hilari (Girona) Lanjaron (Granada), Sigüenza (Guadalajara), and Three Cantos (Madrid).
