Thursday, November 6, 2008

Nissan confirms layoffs and calls for aid electric vehicle

The company requires the Government to seek partners for the project in BCN • The Generalitat is incorporated into the plan of the automobile sector The delegation met with Nissan on Industry minister, Miguel Sebastian, right. Photo: Reuters / SERGIO BARRENECHEA MORE INFORMATION Treball authorizes Seat to suspend contracts until 4502 Antonio Fuentes MADRID The Government and Nissan yesterday gave new hope to the staffing of the factory in Barcelona, threatened by layoffs 1680, on production of an electric car. The top executives of the group in Europe moved into the Industry Minister, Miguel Sebastian, their demands for allocating the new model to the plant Catalan: aid, incentives for the development of electric cars and support of local partners. Despite the new hope of investments in Barcelona, the Japanese multinational confirmed his intention to present the ERE 1680 to dismiss workers, 40% of the workforce in Catalunya, a cut that is part of its transition plan for three years. After the meetings held by Nissan with the minister and the president Jose Montilla, the formalization of ERE in the Department of Labor is considered to have overcome the immediate term courtesy of the company with politicians and have already had an industrial project. "Clear signals" The vice president of Nissan Europe, Eric Nicolas, asked the Government "clear signals" in its project to boost the market for electric vehicles with the goal of reaching one million units in 2014. In addition to the grants, said it is necessary to develop an infrastructure to ensure that recharge the batteries with specific points, that the Administration lead by example and buy the new models and incentives to users to ensure a sales volume that allows Nissan and other Manufacturers accounts balanced to avoid losses and make profitable investments. The person responsible for production of Nissan in Europe, Trevor Mann, who qualified the decision on where they assembled the new electric car will be taken in mid-2010 with the goal of starting production in 2012. He warned that the future of the Barcelona plant depends not only on this project, but may qualify for other models to ensure the workload. According to the Ministry of Industry, the joint commission set up with Nissan to discuss "this ambitious and bold" Barcelona will have the first conclusions in the first quarter of 2009 with the aim of signing a partnership agreement. In parallel, Renault - Nissan's first shareholder - you have another similar commission to analyze the production of another vehicle in ecological Valladolid. Nissan and the ministry also agreed to establish two additional committees to study the development of the infrastructure needed to recharge the batteries and to boost the market for such vehicles, which up to now, hybrid cars with gasoline and electric, has been low. Sebastian reiterated his "concern over the situation of workers of the plant in Catalonia." Trevor Mann's response was to insist that cutting 1680 jobs is necessary to ensure the future, and that if not carried out "the consequences will be even worse." In parallel have taken the first steps to develop a comprehensive plan of the car, directed from the central government, which will be the Generalitat, given the importance of this sector in the Catalan economy.

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