The German footwear multinational Ara Shoes announced the dismissal of another 180 people in Seia, in the Guarda district, after having dismissed 130 workers in recent months, increasing the concern of the City Council.
The decision to close the sewing section, which led to the dismissal of 180 workers until October, was communicated to the workers and the Seia City Council on Friday.
“We were informed on Friday, in a meeting with the administration, that as of October 1 they were going to move forward with the collective dismissal process that affects 180 workers,” the president of the Seia Chamber, Luciano, confirmed to the Lusa agency. Ribeiro.
The mayor said that The company’s intention is to change traditional production technology to injection methods and in this process Ara intends to retrain up to 60 workers. to the injection section.
“Even so, if this is achieved, there will be 120 workers who will end up unemployed, which for us is a reason for alert and which we continue to be concerned about,” highlighted the mayor of Seia.
Luciano Ribeiro highlighted that this new dismissal “poses new challenges” and that the Chamber maintains close proximity with the Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) to be able to find answers for workers.
TO In March, the company began laying off 130 workers with the reduction from six to three sewing lines.the section that the company now intends to close.
According to the mayor, the last workers from the first collective dismissal entered the Seia Employment Centre after June 15.
The City Council continues to receive assurances that production will continue at Seia.
“The company says that this transformation process represents a future reinforcement for the maintenance of the company, concentrating all logistics services and export warehouses in Europe here. It also reinforces and invests in the injection section and in new ways of producing footwear,” said Luciano Ribeiro.
After the first collective dismissal, Ara de Seia had around 550 employees, being one of the largest employers in the municipality.
The Lusa agency contacted the company, which chose not to give a statement.
Ara Shoes, based in Vila Nova de Gaia, was established in Portugal in 1974, and in 1991 the Seia production unit, the only one operational in the country, began operating.
Source: Observadora
