The management of the plant that Volkswagen owns in Navarre shared this Tuesday a work plan that will reduce production in April 2024 and reduce the manufacturing of between 30,000 and 40,000 cars. The company took this measure to acquire capacity in its sheet metal factory, which was reconditioned to start producing the new electric model from 2026. According to figures from the UGT, the majority of the union, this decision translates into “excess personnel”. more than 2,000 people.
As of April 2024, it will produce only two of the three models it currently has (Taigo and Tcross) and will stop manufacturing the iconic Polo model. That leaves enough production to support an operation that employs nearly 5,000 people. The president of the company’s commission for the UGT, Alfredo Morales, expressed that the occupation of the staff is required for the average production of about 300,000 vehicles a year. “We play with a fork between 280,000 and 320,000 vehicles to prepare the annual calendar, but if production drops to 25,000 miles, we are no longer sufficient for the entire work force.” At the moment, with continuous terminations due to the lack of parties, the situation is also difficult: “Therefore, during this period we sought disputes such as ERTEs”, he concludes.
It happened in 1984, when the plant located in the Landaben industrial estate began to manufacture the Polo A02 and A02 Classic models. A decade later the A03 GTI appeared, then the A04. Until the year 2021, the Navarra factory has estimated 18 million units sold up to that time and announced the arrival of the latest version of the Polo. The last version because it will not be anymore.
The dramatic thing, says Morales, is that without Polo and working with electrification at the factories, 2025 only “expected production of 150,000 cars and falls, which is about 50% of the workforce.” A complicated situation that is expected to last a little more than a year and a half, until they begin to manufacture electric models. Morales declares that he is in a “transition” period, which is expected to manufacture electric vehicles in 2026, although still, the situation is more complicated than expected. “The Euro7 regulations and the process of this conversion to new technology” [los coches eléctricos] The problems in society have increased because we are ready for this rapid transformation”, he affirms. The European constitutions have not yet been approved and the final limitations on polluting emissions for new vehicles are unknown, which adds great uncertainty to the deadlines.
Now the goal is to look for devices that get the staff “not over anyone”, but the situation is complex. It would be very simple to increase the production of Taigo and Tcross models, but it is impossible, Morales stated, because the suppliers do not have the ability to supply more parts. In addition, the need for the condition of the plant will adapt it to new electrical models, including its productive capacity and the possibility of exploring another option.
After a meeting with the administration, the UGT issued a statement with an estimate plan for the next four years. They acknowledge that the future is predictable and variable, due to the effects of the end of Polo production, the impact of the entry of Euro7 standards and the electric model. The forecast for the period of 250,000 vehicles is maintained for the next year, which translates into periods of inactivity for the workforce, with days in which the chain is blocked.
Next year it is estimated that the Euro7 framework will already apply and production will decrease to 150,000 units. In other words, the periods of suspension will be further extended. It will not be until 2016 when the forecasts improve a bit, to coincide with the beginning of the manufacture of electric models, until the average production of 300,000 vehicles in 2027. Returning to the management of the Council and Works, it is agreed to continue with the talks. the near future
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