PM: Autoeuropa’s stability is of “great importance” to Portugal

  • ECO News
  • 31 August 2017

Prime minister António Costa highlights the need to make sure T-Roc, the new model from Volkswagen is produced. The company's Portuguese factory Autoeuropa is of "great importance to the country".

The Portuguese prime minister António Costa stated, this Thursday, that the stability of Autoeuropa is important for the production of a new vehicle, highlighting that the company is “of great importance” to the country’s economic growth.

The prime minister told journalists that he would not interfere with the negotiations in the company, but emphasized that Autoeuropa’s activity is of “unquestionable importance to the country”. António Costa believes Autoeuropa has been a “great example of social dialogue”, and that the production of the T-Roc model, which will replace the Sharan model, must be assured.

Autoeuropa’s employees went back to work this Tuesday after this Wednesday’s historical strike against the mandatory work on Saturday. This was the first labor-related stop the company has had since the beginning of its activities in Portugal 27 years ago. Unions representing Autoeuropa’s workers made a “positive assessment” of the strike, since the factory was brought to a complete stop — no car was produced that day. However, the administration — who promised to gather with the unions on September 7 —, says that only 41% of workers joined the strike.