The date of 16 December appears to be key to the Mondragon cooperative group. During that day, Ulma and Orona, one of the most important members of the group, will meet in extraordinary sessions to decide on the breakdown or continuity of their relationship with Mondragon.

Orona announced in the note made public on Thursday, as Ulma has already done, that it will make the decision available to the partners on 16 December. In addition, the Hernani co-operative has denounced the "pressure campaign" against these partners, which "violates their right to information and participation".

On Monday, Mondragon opened a document among all the cooperatives of the group to explain the perceptions that had taken place with Ulma and Orona since June, in which he says that the proposed discussion of both cooperatives in the congress changed the "very concept" of the group, because there was no time to take it.

After that, Ulma has responded strongly and angrily by denouncing the "attack" and "campaign of pressure" against his autonomy, and has called an extraordinary meeting on 16 December to decide whether or not to leave Mondragon. Two days later Orona has done the same, with a softer but blunt note, and has denounced the "unacceptable intervention of Mondragon".

In recent weeks, Orona has held 40 meetings with cooperative partners and plans to hold as many meetings until December 16, "a recovery of sovereignty that cannot be delayed for once to be resolved," the note says.