The management of Iberfoil Aragón has reached an agreement with the workers' representatives to implement a redundancy plan that will affect 40 employees, down from the 53 initially planned. The measure aims to ensure the viability of the only Spanish plant producing thin aluminium sheets.
The Aragonese company Iberfoil Aragón, a manufacturer of thin aluminium sheets based in Sabiñánigo (Huesca), has closed an agreement with the union representatives to apply a redundancy plan (ERE) that will affect 40 workers, as reported by the company. The agreement was reached earlier this month and reduces the impact from the 53 employees that were initially considered in May when the company announced its intentions.
The 40 affected workers will receive compensation of 26 days for each year worked. The total workforce at the factory amounts to 140 employees, meaning the ERE represents a cut of nearly 29% of the workforce.
The management of Iberfoil has expressed gratitude for “the understanding of the current situation” by the workforce and their representatives, as well as “the importance of resizing its workforce necessary to ensure the future and continuity” of the company. In a statement, the company emphasised that this agreement constitutes the first step of the operational transformation plan it intends to develop.
The Sabiñánigo factory is the only one in Spain dedicated to the production of thin aluminium sheets for the food and pharmaceutical sectors. The company has particularly suffered from the international situation, marked by geopolitical instability, rising energy and production costs, supply chain difficulties, market uncertainty, and high price pressure from imported products outside Europe.
The economic results reflect this situation. In 2024, Iberfoil Aragón recorded sales of €52.28 million, compared to €63.19 million the previous year. The company entered the red, with an operating loss of €2.21 million (compared to an operating profit of €2.2 million in 2023) and a net loss of €3.23 million, when in 2023 it had achieved a net profit of €1.3 million.
The agreement reached provides partial relief compared to the initial forecasts, but does not hide the difficult situation facing the aluminium sector in Spain. Competition from Asian products and the volatility of energy costs have put several companies in the sector under pressure. Nevertheless, Iberfoil Aragón is confident that this resizing will ensure the continuity of the plant and maintain the remaining jobs.
For the affected workers, the ERE will materialise in the coming months, under the conditions agreed upon in the negotiations. The company has committed to accompany the process with relocation and employment advisory measures, although no specific external relocation plans have been detailed. The union representatives, for their part, have assessed the agreement as the best possible given the circumstances, avoiding a greater number of layoffs.
The news has a direct impact on the Alto Gállego region, where Sabiñánigo concentrates a significant part of its industrial fabric around aluminium. The loss of 40 jobs in a town of just over 9,000 inhabitants represents a setback for the local economy, although the company assures that the measure is necessary to ensure long-term viability.
Iberfoil Aragón, backed by the investment group Alantra, maintains its activity at the Huesca plant and plans to complete the operational transformation plan in the coming months, aiming to regain the competitiveness lost in recent years.
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