Elkarrekin Araba (group of Podemos, Ezker Anitza, Berdeak Equo and Alianza Verde) has tabled a motion at the General Meetings. Through this text, the opposition team has asked the Provincial Council of Álava and the Basque Government to suspend the Autoglas-Glavista Employment Regulation Dossier, putting on the table a measure: the expropriation of the factory grounds to the multinational Guardian.
In essence, Elkarrekin Araba requests the elaboration of an Intervention Plan. The first step in this plan would be mediation. In this phase, the offer presented by the entrepreneur Javier García Márquez will be analyzed to analyze the viability of this project.
But "if such mediation failed", a second phase would be launched: "Glavista Public Rescue Plan." Expropriation of the land necessary for the operation of the company, according to the proposal proposed by Elkarrekin Araba. In addition, the political group expects public institutions to become shareholders of Autoglas-Glavista, maintaining 240 jobs.
In this regard, a new proposal has been put forward in the motion: to allocate another EUR 25 million for the reindustrialisation of Aiaraldea. 50% of this amount would be distributed in public grants, 25% as repayable credit and the remaining 25% as a participative loan. According to Elkarrekin Araba, the municipalities of the region should also contribute to this economic plan.
Is it possible to do what Elkarrekin Podemos proposes?
Elkarrekin Podemos has not been the first to consider land expropriation in Guardian. The Autoglas-Glavista workers put this option on the table for the first time, by screaming at the mobilisation on 6 October:
Aiaraldea Komunikabideak then asked two legal advisers about this possibility. Here you can read a report on the subject.
The members of Elkarrekin Podemos acknowledge that the measures proposed "seem very hard", but assure that the Provincial Government and the Basque Government are able to implement them. "In addition, we believe that this investment and these efforts will revert to the administration in terms of employment, social welfare and wealth of the region," spokesman José Damián García-Moreno said.