Moeve Refinery Workers Fear Job Losses Amidst Dismantling and Union Disputes
One hundred and fifty workers at the Moeve refinery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife face job uncertainty as the facility is dismantled and operations shift to storage and distribution, with potential redundancies and transfers to the mainland being discussed.
One hundred and fifty workers at the Moeve refinery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife are worried about their jobs. The refinery is being dismantled, and the company is not including staff in talks about the collective bargaining agreement for refining. Moeve claims the refinery's activity is now limited to storing and distributing fuel.
Alain Perera, the head of the works council, explained that this situation started in 2015, and they had three collective agreements without issues since then. However, the Workers' Union, which represents 47% of the staff, doesn't have the backing of CCOO and UGT. These two unions, with 53% representation, support Tenerife leaving the refining collective bargaining agreement.
This comes as the refinery is set to close, with the land it occupies being transferred to the city. Perera mentioned that Moeve has indicated there won't be major changes, the refinery's character will be maintained, and workers will be offered transfers to the mainland.
With the current staff averaging 47 years old, Perera admits that not all 150 workers can be accommodated. They anticipate a difficult future, with potential redundancies or dismissals, in addition to transfers to other Moeve sites in the Canary Islands.
Moving the refinery's operations from Santa Cruz to the Granadilla Industrial Estate doesn't offer any guarantees for the employees. The new operations will be managed by a Moeve subsidiary, meaning the workers cannot negotiate terms with their current company regarding conditions set by another entity with more control.
Representatives are scheduled to meet on the 25th to begin negotiations. These talks will be based on the current collective bargaining agreement, aiming to adapt the terms to the refinery's current reality, the work being done, and the staff itself.
Previously, Moeve (formerly Cepsa) included its refineries in La Rábida (Huelva), San Roque (Algeciras), and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the refining collective bargaining agreement. The shift in model for the Santa Cruz refinery began in 2014, and the dismantling of its facilities started in 2022.