- The Balzola construction house, which employs 179 workers, continues to receive no three-month salary for the staff. Since its origins it has been closely linked to the public construction of Bizkaia, which has carried out works such as the Guggenheim, Paraninfo UPV, Metro Bilbao, some sections of the TAV and the finishes of the Iberdrola Tower. The ELA Works Council has criticised "the decapitalization of the company by the management during the four months that the company has been in pre-bankruptcy. On the pretext of the extension decreed by the Government as a result of the pandemic, the whole process is lengthening and the workers, subcontractors and suppliers are suffering the agony of the lack of pay."
According to the note issued by ELA, the company owes the 179 workers a three-month salary to deal with the eventuality. In addition, the company has been pre-competitive for four months and the Works Council has denounced that "instead of seeking management solutions, the company has been decapitalized and, at the same time, believes that it is acting in bad faith for not submitting a voluntary creditor competition".
Extension to the detriment of workers
The committee explained that the company has used the extension decreed by the government as an "excuse" and that the whole process is lengthening, so in recent months "workers, subcontractors and suppliers who have not paid their wages are suffering the agony". He added that due to the "legal vacuum of the employment regulation dossier", workers are "in a situation of helplessness" and live an uncertainty that prevents them from knowing their future.
Company Committee sees management "responsible for mismanagement"
The committee has immediately asked the management of Balzola for solutions to the payments of outstanding wages. The management has been held responsible for the mismanagement that has pushed the company into bankruptcy.