Nissan announces an ERE in Barcelona affecting five hundred sixty-nine workers

Published on April 28, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

The Japanese automaker has announced a redundancy plan for three of its centers in Barcelona. The measure impacts the technical center in Zona Franca (383 employees), the spare parts center in El Prat (122), and the flexible areas center (64). Unions have until May 6 to negotiate.

Image of the Nissan factory in Barcelona, with workers leaving the Zona Franca technical center, union flags, and an ERE sign in the foreground.

The Zona Franca technical center: the R&D heart in check 🔧

This center not only houses assembly lines but is the core for prototype development and testing for commercial vehicles. Its closure or restructuring would mean losing decades of know-how in chassis engineering and propulsion systems. The precision welding and assembly technology applied there is an asset difficult to replicate. The negotiation will define whether that knowledge is transferred or extinguished.

Nissan's ERE: when the workforce is left in neutral 🚗

It seems Nissan's strategy to reduce costs is as novel as a 1995 model. Instead of betting on new projects, they have decided on an express redundancy plan. Thus, the 569 workers face an uncertain future while management wonders why they don't build cars that sell themselves. Perhaps the next plan will be to auction off the office chairs.