International Paper closes two factories in Valls and Montblanc and will lay off 200 employees

International Paper, a packaging company, announced to its workforce on Wednesday the closure of its production plants in Valls (Alt Camp) and Montblanc (Conca de Barberà). This measure will entail implementing a workforce reduction plan (ERE) and the dismissal of approximately 200 workers, according to a statement issued by the CCOO union. The company has communicated the decision to the works councils and the town halls of both municipalities. The union expressed its "absolute rejection" of the ERE and criticized the closure as a "completely arbitrary" decision: "It does not respond to any logic of real economic viability." According to the organization, the packaging sector is currently in "a phase of expansion and sustained growth, which refutes the company's arguments about an alleged production crisis." CCOO believes that this move "responds exclusively to a strategy of corporate speculation and covert offshoring" by the American multinational. In fact, the union asserts that in recent years they have observed a "deliberate diversion of orders" to other plants within the group, with the aim of reducing the workload at the Camp de Tarragona factories and justifying their closure. The president of the Montblanc plant's works council, Antonio Muriana, has requested the involvement of the Council of Mayors, the Tarragona Provincial Council, and the Catalan Government to prevent the closure of these industrial facilities. The Montblanc City Council unanimously approved a motion demanding that the company not be closed, and the Valls City Council requested a meeting with International Paper's management. "Strategic review process"

In the letter sent to the city councils, which ACN has obtained, the company states that the closure is part of a "strategic review process" of its operations in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. International Paper justifies the closure by stating that the objective is "to improve efficiency and ensure that the company's operational structure responds to the changing needs of customers and the current challenging market conditions." According to company sources, the company has significantly expanded its industrial presence in Spain in recent years. The company asserts that this growth has been largely driven by strategic acquisitions. "Now, with the aim of improving the efficiency of our operations and ensuring that the operational structure responds to the changing needs of customers and the market, we have carried out a strategic review of our business in the newly created South West EMEA region, which includes Spain, Portugal, and Morocco," they argued.