The announcement by International Paper arrived a day after the Montblanc City Council approved a motion supporting the affected professionals, who were already aware of the possibility of closure. The works councils requested the suspension of "any irrevocable decision" and established a moratorium to try and reverse the situation.
“"The best thing would be for a company to buy the plant to prevent families from losing income."
The local councils have strongly criticized the consequences of the closure, highlighting the "destructuring" of the industrial fabric in the Camp de Tarragona area. In Valls, 91 workers would be affected, while in Montblanc the figure is close to one hundred. The mayor of Valls, Dolors Farré, "tried to prevent the measure from going ahead."
Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) was one of the first entities to reject the proposed ERE, calling the corporate action a "corporate speculation strategy." International Paper, however, justifies the closure as part of a "strategic reorganization" in Europe to improve efficiency. CCOO criticized the "arbitrariness" of the decision due to a lack of "real economic viability" for the shutdown.
The affected plants are among the oldest in the region's industrial sector. The Valls branch continued the legacy of Cartonatges Trilla, active for 75 years, and the Montblanc plant exceeded half a century of continuous operation. The closure endangers the viability of the local business system, affecting dozens of suppliers and auxiliary local services.
