SPAIN: Coca Cola workers protest plans to close four bottling plants in Spain

Record ID: 214164

  • Title: SPAIN: Coca Cola workers protest plans to close four bottling plants in Spain
  • Date: 2nd February 2014
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (FEBRUARY 2, 2014) (REUTERS) COCA COLA WORKERS PROTESTING AND CHANTING WITH POLICE STANDING CLOSE BY PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARDS READING (English): "OVER 4.000 FAMILIES DIE FROM COCA COLA" AND "MADRID DOESN'T MANUFACTURE, MADRID DOESN'T DRINK" PROTESTERS STANDING AND TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FORK-LIFT DRIVER AT COCA COLA'S BOTTLING PLANT, RAUL FERNANDEZ, SAYING: "They close four Coca Cola plants in Spain; in Fuenlabrada, Alicante, Palma Mallorca and Asturias due to a massive restructuring plan that is impossible to understand. It is a company with 900 million euros of profit and they are sending 1,000 families on to the streets. With the situation that we have in this country, in my opinion, it is a scandal that a profitable company sends 1,000 families on to the streets." PLACARDS READING (Spanish): "THEY RUIN 1,200 FAMILIES" AND "NO TO THE SHUT" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CCOO UNION REPRESENTATIVE, FRANCISCO BERMEJO, SAYING: "Coca Cola has always based their policy on moving people's emotional intelligence. Their last campaign placing names on the cans, putting them in the families with people adopting the idea and feeling proud about the plant and now the face of capitalism has appeared. It is only about speculation, speculation and speculation. To win, to win and to win." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING SIGN INDICATING HIGHWAY / PROTESTERS MARCHING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING COCA COLA CANS BEING DRAGGED ALONG THE GROUND VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING ON THE HIGH WAY SOL SQUARE / PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER PROTESTER HOLDING PLACARDS PROTESTERS CHANTING (Spanish): "FUENLABRADA IS NOT GOING TO BE SHUT" PLACARD READING (Spanish): "900 MILLION EUROS OF PROFIT, NO TO THE RESTRUCTURING PLAN" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING AND HOLDING BANNER READING (Spanish): "NO TO THE SHUT OF COCA COLA IN FUENLABRADA"
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Economy,Employment,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACWULAOTXLVF11TLW1E3QXBSPA
  • Story Text: Around 1,000 Coca Cola workers and their families marched on Sunday (February 2) from the company's bottling plant on the outskirts of Madrid to Sol Square to protest against plans to shut bottling plants in Spain.
    The company's Spanish subsidiary Coca Cola Iberian Partners' restructuring plan includes the closure of four of its 11 bottling plans in a move that would affect 1,250 workers.
    Unions said 700 workers will be fired and 500 will be relocated.
    On Sunday morning the workers from the Fuenlabrada plant marched for 24 kilometres to Sol Square in the centre of Madrid chanting slogans against the labour reform and holding placards demanding to keep their jobs Raul Fernandez, who works as a fork-lift driver in the plant, said the company made a 900 million-euro profit last year, which made the plans a scandal.
    "They close four Coca Cola plants in Spain; in Fuenlabrada, Alicante, Palma Mallorca and Asturias due to a massive restructuring plan that is impossible to understand," Fernandez said. "It is a company with 900 million euros of profit and they are sending 1,000 families on to the streets. With the situation that we have in this country, in my opinion, it is a scandal that a profitable company sends 1,000 families on to the streets."
    Francisco Bermejo, a representative of the CCOO union and member of the negotiation board, said they had no news about the company's plans to relocate workers.
    "Coca Cola has always based their policy on moving people's emotional intelligence," Bermejo said. "Their last campaign placing names on the cans, putting them in the families with people adopting the idea and feeling proud about the plant and now the face of capitalism has appeared. It is only about speculation, speculation and speculation. To win, to win and to win."
    Workers began a indefinite strike on Saturday (February 1).
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