The industrial company Grudiva has filed for a workforce reduction plan (ERE) to lay off 37 workers from one of its plants in Granollers (Vallès Oriental). The company has belonged to the Indian group Sanjeev since 2012, and members of the works council told ARA that their plan is to transfer the machinery and operations of this Catalan factory—it has two located on the same avenue—to India. This decision represents the dismissal of a third of Grudiva's workforce, a company founded 70 years ago in Granollers. In justifying the ERE, the company cites organizational, production, and economic reasons. Sources explain that 90% of Grudiva's revenue comes from the leading American manufacturer of tractors and agricultural machinery, John Deere. Specifically, the employees affected by the layoffs are dedicated to producing the gears necessary for these vehicles to function. The unions suspect, therefore, that the American group—which this year filed for temporary layoffs (ERTE) at its Spanish subsidiary in Madrid—wants to take advantage of the fact that Sanjeev also has factories in India to relocate its production and thus reduce labor and operating costs. "They've already moved the machines there," the works council reports. The ERTE was registered on November 7th, and since then the clock has started ticking for negotiations during the one-month consultation period. The unions—CGT and CCOO—want to reach an agreement to minimize layoffs, relocate workers to other divisions of the group, and guarantee early retirement plans so that departures are "as painless as possible." "There are people who started at the factory as apprentices and have been here for over 30 years," they emphasize. Closure in two stages

But what the works council fears most is that this first round of layoffs is the prelude to a two-stage closure of Grudiva's factories in the Vallès region, which has seen a drop in revenue in recent years. ARA has contacted the company for comment, but has not yet received a response. "We're afraid the other machines have already been sold. We've asked for a viability plan, but who's to say they aren't planning to do the same?" ask the workers' representatives, who have also met with the Granollers City Council to convey their concerns and seek their support.

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Another closure in Catalan industry. The UGT union denounced on Friday that the Japanese company Hi-Lex has announced the closure of its plant in Granollers and filed for a collective dismissal procedure (ERE) to lay off its 67 workers. In response, the workforce has begun an indefinite strike to show its "outright rejection" of the multinational's decision. According to the union, the closure of the factory in the Vallès region is not due to objective reasons, but rather is a "disguised relocation." "During the consultation period, the works council and the union organizations have confirmed that management has acted in bad faith, maintained an inflexible position, and demonstrated that the decision had already been made long before its official announcement," UGT criticized.

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The lines of people dressed mostly in white stretch to the corners of the Granollers Sports Palace. It could be any other day for a match for the city's handball team, but it isn't. At a gate, security officers ask for permission, and a corridor of fans forms, applauding, shouting, taking photos, and some crying with emotion as a spotless white Mercedes passes by, led and preceded by two other vehicles. And then the runners arrive to take their places in a show that begins when their star—the one in the white Mercedes—takes the stage. A song starts, and the audience turns on their phone flashlights, waves, some close their eyes and just listen, others get excited again. It could be a concert by an octopus star, but it isn't either.

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Martina Capdevila Barbany (Granollers, 2001) will be enjoying a very special weekend. Starting Friday, the capital of Vallès Oriental will host the final phase of the Queen's Cup for handball, with KH-7 BM Granollers hosting the tournament and vying for the title for the first time. The team from Vallès will face Balonmano Morvedre on Friday in the quarterfinals and are dreaming of reaching Sunday's final thanks to the goals scored by Capdevila, who at 23 has already scored more than 500 in the league. In fact, this year she leads the top scorers' standings. Now she wants to win a title in front of her hometown. Her family's history is the story of Granollers handball.

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