A week ago, the Guardian announced the closure of the Laudio oven, coinciding with the dismissal of 171 workers. According to the management of the American multinational, the furnace of the glass manufacturing plant is damaged, which results in the decision to close the company. Although it was initially explained that it would close on February 3, the date has been advanced and it is announced that the furnace shutdown process will begin on January 29.

The company board (ELA and LAB unions) will start an indefinite strike against the closure and dismissals of the company. On Monday morning, the company explained that the closure is “irreversible.” The workers have agreed to strike in response to the management’s decision.

Although the strike will begin on January 30, they have called for a rally this Wednesday between 7:00 and 10:00. The workers will be mobilised on the day the company plans to shut down the furnace in order to obstruct the shutdown operations.

In addition to the mobilisations, the business committee has asked Osalan, the Basque Agency for Safety at Work, to present a report on the closure plan and its consequences.

In fact, the workers’ committee has explained that the safety of the building and the workers could be compromised and that the building could even collapse. Gabriel Ainz, Occupational Hazard Prevention Delegate at the Guardian plant in Laudio, denounces the absence of an activity protocol to shut down the furnace, criticizing that this protocol will “probably” arrive after the furnace is closed.

Case to the Jusatizia Court

In response to the decision to close the company in Laudio, ELA has filed an application for urgent precautionary measures with the Court of Justice of the Basque Country. The union has asked the court to order the suspension of the Guardian's decision.