Bridgestone to cut 40% of Basauri workforce

Bridgestone announces 40% staff cut in Basauri: 335 workers

The Bridgestone plant in Basauri (Bizkaia) faces the dismissal of 335 employees, representing 40% of its workforce, trinc more than a year under an ERTE (temporary employment regulation scheme). The Japanese multinational has extended this measure to its Cantabria factory in Puente San Miguel, affecting another 211 workers. According to forum discussions, unions have called for an indefinite strike in response.

This announcement has become a barometer of industrial discontent in the Basque Country. The local plant, which had been operating under temporary layoffs for over a year, now sees these measures turn into permanent dismissals. In the thread, some argue that management justifies the cuts due to falling demand and lost competitiveness, while others claim worker representatives accuse the company of using the situation to execute long-planned reductions.

Why is Bridgestone cutting back in Basauri and Puente San Miguel?

In the debate, some participants point to stagflation and the collapse of tire demand in Europe. The automotive sector is facing a deep crisis, with factories reducing shifts and multinationals relocating production to lower-cost countries. One user mentions competition from plants in Romania and other destinations with lower wages, arguing that the company views the adjustment as inevitable to maintain business viability in the region.

Other participants reject this narrative. They assert that the Japanese multinational used the ERTE as leverage to force mass layoffs and drive down labor conditions. The call for an indefinite strike was the immediate response, although the layoff announcement came before it could halt the process. At the heart of the conflict lies an uncomfortable question: how far is a multinational willing to lose money to keep unions happy?

The domino effect on Basque industry

Basauri is not an isolated case. In the Basque Country, the automotive and components industry has endured years of adjustments. Michelin has plants in Vitoria and Lasarte, and the tire sector faces global restructuring. The Bridgestone crisis adds to those of other factories that have closed or reduced staff in recent years, such as Fagor, an episode many consider minor compared to what is coming.

Some argue that the underlying problem is the loss of European industrial competitiveness against Asia and America. Energy costs, taxation, and labor market rigidity push multinationals to seek cheaper destinations. In this context, the Basque Country competes at a disadvantage: its industrial wages are higher than the Spanish average, and its productive fabric largely depends on decisions made in Tokyo, Paris, or Munich.

Public salaries and the Basque bubble

The debate on the future of Basque industry quickly shifted to public spending. The Basque Government maintains an advisory structure that, according to circulating data, equals that of the British Executive: 122 advisors costing €9 million, only six fewer than the UK. This comparison has fueled criticism regarding the sustainability of the Basque model, especially as the industry, the main source of wealth, crumbles.

Added to this is pressure on public sector wages. Basque teachers recently mobilized to demand pay raises, working 18 teaching hours per week. Amid factory closures, the question arises: how will the Basque Government justify new increases while the private sector destroys jobs? Public salaries in the Basque Country are higher than in the rest of Spain, a reality many view as unsustainable if the industrial base fractures.

What happens to the affected workers?

The 335 workers in Basauri and the 211 in Puente San Miguel face an uncertain future. Many have worked at the plant for decades and now face early retirement or redeployment in a sluggish labor market. The indefinite strike called by unions seeks to secure better exit conditions, but the company has made clear its priority is cost reduction. The standoff between both sides will determine the course of negotiations.

Meanwhile, the shadow of further closures looms over the sector. The European automotive industry is undergoing a full transformation, and plants that fail to adapt have their days numbered. In the Basque Country, dependence on foreign multinationals makes every corporate decision feel like an existential threat. The Bridgestone case is just the latest chapter in a story that seems to have no end.

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The striking fact: while Bridgestone lays off 335 workers in Basauri, the Basque Government maintains 122 advisors, only six fewer than the entire British Executive. Industry is collapsing, yet the political structure remains untouched.