H&M announces an ERE for 1,100 employees in Spain

La cadena sueca de ropa y complementos H&M ha anunciado este martes su intención de iniciar un despido colectivo (ERE) en España, que afectará a unos 1.100 employees and execute a "substantial" modification of working conditions, according to the company.

They explain that the retail industry is experiencing a "great change" as a result of pandemic and digitalization for "constant growth of online".Therefore, he said they will carry out a process of transformation and reorganization worldwide to have a "more efficient" structure and integrate physical stores and online.In this way, it will close 350 stores worldwide. En España este cierre masivo afectará a 30 tiendas (de sus 150 establecimientos), 27 de H&M y 3 de COS durante este mismo año, aunque la empresa reconoce que podría prolongarse hasta 2022.

And although in the statement the chain indicated that its objective is "to maintain the greatest possible number of jobs", this ERE will affect about 1.100 employees in Spain, about 17% of its total workforce of about 6.200 workers between stores and warehouses.The company has assured that it will prioritize the voluntary assignment option to dismiss.

From CC OO they reject this step from ERT to ERE in a "unjustified and disproportionate" way and detail that in addition to the closure of 30 stores, another 94 will be affected by dismissals.In addition, they will reduce the hours to employees of another 24 stores. «H&M aboga por el empleo low cost», lamenta el sindicato mayoritario en la empresa.

Aunque entienden que se ha producido un cambio en los hábitos de consumo de la población por la pandemia, «esto no justifica en ningún caso tal cantidad de despidos», argumenta CC OO, más aún teniendo en cuenta que «H&M se ha estado beneficiando de las condiciones que el Gobierno introdujo para los ERTE durante la pandemia», aseguran.

Therefore, the union has already advanced that its position is to substantially reduce the number of people affected and the closure of stores, as well as demand voluntariness and measures "the least possible traumatic" and in favorable conditions for the template.CC OO has announced that the negotiating table with the company will begin on April 23.