If the Nissan workers win!, we win todxs!
Nationalization under workers control is the best possible and necessary future for a stable and fundamental exit.
Nissan has made the decision to close the Zona Franca plant in Barcelona, the most important in the Spanish State, and its two production centers: Montcada and Reixach (sheet metal) and Sant Andreu de la Barca (backstage). R&D units will also be affected, the spare parts center and the logistics center of the port. Plants in Ávila and Cantabria will continue operating, supplying spare parts to Renault plants in Spain and France.
The arguments are that "The plant is not viable", “The difficult environment of sector", which is closed by "The global challenges" and that Nissan it has lost for the first time in eleven years ”. According to Gianluca from Ficchy, president of nissan europe, it is an irreversible measure because would require a huge investment. A period of negotiations begins in the that the terms and conditions of the process will be established, whose cost of closing, according to estimates of the authorities it will be 1.000 millions of euros.
Nissan agreed new conditions with the partners of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance: the distribution of the market in geographical areas, the allocation of new technologies to be developed in the future by each member and the reduction of production costs in a 40%. Renault will be the benchmark brand in Europe, with dominance over industrial operations; Nissan to spearhead activities in China, North America and Japan and Mitsubishi will keep Oceania and Southeast Asia. Nissan will take care of the future generation of the Qashqai (SUV segment C), made in Sunderland, England and Renault, will handle the B-SUV segment (Captur) and the vans. The Sunderland Plant, who employs 7.000 people, also under threat of closure, since according to the director of operations, Aswani Gupta, "Not viable" if a free trade agreement with the EU is not reached that avoids tariffs, after Brexit.
The financial market perceived Renault as the big winner of the deal and its shares rose more than a 17%, in front of 5,5% from Nissan. The French company receives strong pressure from the Emannuel Macron government to repatriate productions, as a condition in exchange for receiving future millionaire aid. At Renault there are also adjustments and layoffs, that's why thousands of people demonstrated in northern France, after the closure of a plant that employed 2.100 people and they want to move to 70 kilometers. The announcements indicate that there will be more layoffs both in that country and in others..
What matters least to the company and its CEO Makoto Uchida, is that they will leave on the street 3.000 direct workers and that will affect others 20.000 indirect. After having reduced the workforce by 1.600 people in 2008 and fire others 600 in 2019, have delivered the coup de grace. It is a serious fact, in addition to the loss of jobs, Nissan's activity represents the 7% of all the Catalan industry and the 1,3% del START. In the automotive production sector something similar did not happen from the 2011, when Santana closed, two years after Suzuki's retirement.
What matters least to the company and its CEO Makoto Uchida, is that they will leave on the street 3.000 direct workers and that will affect others 20.000 indirect.
The authorities know that they have a great economic and social problem on their hands, that is why the Government of Spain will convene the Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona City Council, Free Trade Zone Consortium and the trade union centrals to analyze the situation and study different possible scenarios. Pedro Sánchez considers that the closure is a “irrational decision” that leaves the company out of the big “european common market”. President Quim Torra (JxCat), the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau (We share) and the mayor of L´Hospitalet, Nuria Marín (PSC) have expressed their concern and their willingness to provide solutions. But, as some representatives of the workers have pointed out: "They have let us die", "The politicians have reacted late and badly". As a company committee statement, we must guarantee that “don't forget the claim” as days go by.
There is a key question: debate what is the solution. For the vice president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, (ERC): "Perhaps we should abandon the idea of grant and think about a joint capital inflow to have more incidence on the decisions of multinationals, since they ask that there be public contribution ”. Nevertheless, there are several facts that point to the need for a more thorough exit, the Japanese employers have received from the Generalitat 25 million euros in the last 15 years and that has not prevented make it fit and go when you feel like it.
Nissan should return every penny it received from public coffers as a gift from bourgeois governments to guarantee its profits, you have to expropriate your property without compensation and nationalize it, pouring funds to reactivate production under the control of their workers. If that is not the case, there will only be partial and unstable patches. The multinationals of globalization collect millions in profits for decades and when a fiscal year gives them some loss, they negotiate a new division of the market with other operators, they pack their bags and leave. They don't even care about families, not work, nothing. It is not only about the Japanese employers, all employers are equal, because they respond to the essence of the profit-based capitalist system. Capitalism is not "Humanizable" ni “social”, it must be defeated and a socialist model built.
… existing plants, they have to call to hold assemblies to vote on a plan of struggle and general strike.
Nationalization, which rightly the CUP also raises, is possible and necessary. Since the deepening of the crisis in the capitalist economy triggered by the Pandemic, has been permanently debated, how a ghost that runs through Europe although so far there have been more warnings than realities. Currently facing the deterioration of the living conditions, the government of "Progressive coalition" is in a real crusade to give its actions the character of important "social measures". Because, it is not strange that Vice President Pablo Iglesias (United we can) I said in Parliamentary commission: "I have no problem talking about this topic. Nationalizations are perfectly possible in the Spanish Constitution and are neither left nor right ”. In its wide range of promises, Iglesias raised the total repeal of the labor reform and the need to implement a universal basic income, among many other measures that were not fulfilled and remained in very limited social palliatives.
The workers are in indefinite strike from the 4 of May. With confirmation of loss of your job source, burned covers at the entrances to the plants, concentrated on La Maquinista dealerships, Nissan Motor Llansà, Nissan Romauto, Nissan Granollers and they cut the Gran Vía and from below they sing loudly "War, war, war, Nissan does not close ”. We we have shown solidarity with the workers' demands and we call to continue contributing to strengthen the Resistance Fund. The indefinite strike has been called by the Company Committee (CC.OO., UGT, USOC and CGT), but it has not been enough to make the employers back down. It's a difficult fight, but is not the last word. Because, We must go further, the union centrals that are represented in the Committee and all the existing centrals, they have to call to hold assemblies to vote on a plan of struggle and general strike. By sources of work, the repeal of all labor reform and the rights of workers. With the occupation of the plants, the extension of the strike to Renault and other automakers. A great unitary mobilization to the power centers in Barcelona would help no one to ignore the problem. It is essential that concrete solidarity spread in neighborhoods close to plants, in Catalonia and the Spanish State, also internationally, doing repudiation actions in each country and boycotting the interests of Nissan. We only place trust in the struggle and mobilization of workers to design a future for Nissan. We have to stop them now! For workers and employers to earn, they cannot do the same in other factories and workplaces. There is no going ahead adjusting, turn the omelette and the crisis is paid by the capitalists. If Nissan workers win, we win todxs.
