UGT's spokesperson in Ford Almussafes and Secretary of the works council, José Luis Parra, has expressed his satisfaction with the agreement reached with the company regarding the Employment Regulation File (ERE) and has hoped that 100% of the 1,124 departures - 20 fewer than initially planned due to various negotiations and new job positions - are voluntary.

In an interview with Europa Press Television, the spokesperson emphasized the importance of having reduced the number of affected workers in the ERE by 20 people. "It may seem insignificant, but for us, it is important to reduce the number of affected people," he stressed.

Parra specified that the final number was communicated on Tuesday during the ninth Negotiating Committee meeting, where the company and UGT closed the agreement.

"Once this complicated negotiation is over, we will focus on the future of the factory and ensuring that the remaining workers have a prosperous and promising future," he stated.

Regarding this, he highlighted that within "the complicated situation," they are "satisfied" because the company has included a significant part of the union's demands in the negotiations, such as lowering the pre-retirement age to 53 years and an incentivized departure program where the company has increased the proposed compensation amounts.

Regarding the retirement plan, he explained that it involves the company providing support conditions until the retirement age, which includes paying a salary supplement and Social Security contributions depending on the worker's age, salary level, and seniority.

On the other hand, for younger workers who "wish to embark on a new career path," he stressed that an attractive incentive of €40,000 in addition to the compensation will be given to those who register before June 30.

Thus, they hope that 80% of the departures will be through voluntary acceptance of the pre-retirement program, and the remaining 20%, also voluntary, will be through incentives for young workers.

Regarding the fact that STM in Ford has not subscribed to the agreement — considering, among other reasons, that it does not prioritize seniority and does not put voluntariness in writing — Parra pointed out that "there are unions that criticize what UGT agrees to but then, from the back door, they join in and want those conditions to affect their own delegates."

He also admitted that there is "a lot of uncertainty about the transition to electric vehicles," but emphasized that the feedback they receive from colleagues is that they are "satisfied to have placed their trust in UGT, which retained an absolute majority and has been able once again to reach an agreement in a complicated situation."

In fact, he maintained that if it had not been for the agreement reached a year ago with Ford's European management to produce the new company's electric vehicle platform from 2025 onwards, "they would not have been able to exert pressure on the company and achieve a retirement age that was never seen before in Ford."

Therefore, although the ERE affects almost 20% of the workforce in Almussafes, he stressed that in the Saarlouis plant (Germany), "the situation is just the opposite," with only 20% of the workforce remaining.

For all these reasons, he insisted that the negotiation was "very intense and complicated," that they are "satisfied" with the results, and recalled that Ford Europe's president already announced that cuts would be necessary in different plants for this third ERE.

"There is currently a lot of uncertainty in the automotive sector. Everything is changing rapidly, and it is impossible to predict what could happen in the future, but we are taking it game by game and hope that this complicated negotiation will help to accompany the factory's electrification process," he concluded.