The workers of the publishing house Santillana Spain have gathered again next Monday against the collective dismissal that the company, known for its educational textbooks and acquired by the Finnish group Sanoma in 2020, intends to implement. The ERE reaches up to 20% of the workforce, which means the departure of around 90 people. Workers do not yet know which jobs or areas will be most affected. “We are all on alert, in principle we all are,” says a source from the team, who asks not to be named.
With slogans such as “Sanoma doesn’t want us” and “ERE doesn’t want us in Santillana”, a large part of the staff from the offices of the Tres Cantos headquarters (Madrid) gathered this morning at the doors of the offices where celebrations are taking place this Monday here comes a new negotiating table for collective redundancies.
“The gatherings have a very important impact among the workforce,” says Manuel Fernández Balanza, head of the Paper, Graphics and Photography sector at FSC-CCOO. “At last week’s workers’ meeting, in person and by video conference, there were about 400 people out of a total of 470 on the team. It was a bucket of cold water, the influence of 20% is very important,” explains the union.
“When they told us the news it was shock. “We didn’t expect it, to be honest,” said the team. “It is true that the world of education is changing, that there is a need for transformation, but the publisher had already promoted some voluntary incentive events, and we thought it would stay there, we did not think that ERE would be implemented,” add with him. the same sources. The sector is registering other similar maneuvers, such as the collective dismissal implemented by SM this year as well.
There are benefits, “organizational” reasons.
This Monday there was a new meeting of the ERE negotiating table, and “next week the consultation period ends,” explains Fernández Balanza. Santillana Spain (Sanoma), a leader in the sector and with profits, justifies the collective dismissal for organizational and production reasons, but the staff representation rejects the reasons and considers the measure disproportionate.
“Sanoma Educación SAU is currently negotiating with the workers’ representatives, after the negotiation table has been established, regarding the Employment Control File for organizational reasons that we announced on September 16,” says the company.
“We are maintaining an open and collaborative dialogue to try to reach the best possible agreement for all parties involved. The aim of this process is to guarantee the sustainability of our business in an adverse market environment which leads to a decrease in the number of users of educational materials,” continues Sanoma.
In this Monday’s meeting, which will last until the evening, and the others called (October 28 and 29) it is expected that negotiations will be accelerated regarding the details of the personnel impact and the unemployment conditions proposed by the company.
The group is concerned about two aspects. For the staff affected by the ERE, and for “the future viability of those who remain and the company, so that it continues to maintain the level of quality,” explains the representative of the CCOO.
Many of the workers in Santillana have accumulated a lot of seniority and are of a “complex” age to leave the labor market. “Most of the people are 50 years of age or older, although there are also younger colleagues who have joined in recent years,” they add with concern from the team, who will continue to focus in the coming days before us demanding that the company reconsider the measure.