German footwear multinational Ara Shoes laid off 130 people in Seia on Friday, with the City Council receiving the guarantee that the company will remain in the city.
The intention was confirmed to Agência Lusa by Luciano Ribeiro, president of the Seia City Council, adding that the company “alleges the need to adapt to the market”, for the dismissal.
The mayor says he has the administration’s guarantee that the unit will remain in Seia and continue to transfer skills to that location.
With the dismissal of 130 workers, Ara de Seia maintains around 550 employees, continuing to be among “the largest employers” in the municipality, highlighted the mayor.
Luciano Ribeiro admits that it is a situation that worries the municipality, but highlights that in Seia “there is a lack of labor in several sectors and it could be an alternative for reconversion, whatever people’s expectations”.
As Luciano Ribeiro explained, the company claims that due to the war it lost markets such as Russia and Ukraine and recorded losses in Europe and is therefore, at the moment, also transitioning to another type of product. “Given the circumstances there will be a need to adapt and modernize, creating new products”, highlights the mayor.
Ara Shoes, based in Vila Nova de Gaia, established itself in Portugal in 1974, with the Seia production unit starting to operate in 1991.
Tags: Multinational Ara lays people Seia
