UGT y CCOO advierten de pérdidas de empleo si desaparece la marca Seat

The UGT and CCOO have appealed to public administrations on Monday to unite and defend Seat, the industrial fabric and employment in the country. They warned that eliminating the Seat brand would pose a risk to employment. In a joint statement, the two unions, the first and second largest forces in the company respectively, make it clear that they do not share a possible end of a legendary brand like Seat.

Their bet on the company Seat and its two brands - Seat and Cupra - is a bet on the country; it is much more than a bet on a legendary company, it is a bet on the industry as a motor for an economic model that creates wealth that returns to society through quality employment, which in turn promotes inclusion and social justice, they argue.

Both union forces react to a communication made public by Seat on Friday, in which the company and its parent group Volkswagen (VW) admitted they are studying the possibility of abolishing the Seat brand from 2030. The UGT and CCOO acknowledge the unprecedented magnitude of the crisis facing the Volkswagen group, caused by factors such as competition from China or US tariffs, among others, but they also criticize certain decisions by VW, such as the bet on the software division Cariad, in which over 20,000 million euros have been wasted, or the PowerCo battery division.

They defend the electrification of the Seat and Cupra brands, a bet based on common sense, adding that the direction of the VW group seems to be more focused on cutting costs to generate liquidity and continue paying large dividends to shareholders. They do not understand how the elimination of the Seat brand benefits the improvement of VW's competitiveness, as it would lose an entry brand whose role cannot be filled by any of the current brands, affecting sales.

Regarding employment, the unions emphasize the risk of eliminating the Seat brand, as in the current context of VW it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to replace each Seat model with one from the Cupra brand. CCOO and UGT justify their defense of Seat and Cupra to safeguard industrial fabric and employment, not only of Seat but of the entire territory, and assure that to seal this united front in defense of Seat they plan to meet soon with representatives of public administrations.

In any case, both unions offer a message of tranquility about the future, emphasizing that as of 2030 the Martorell factory (Barcelona) will continue to operate, but what is in question is how many staff will be present.