MADRID, May 15 (Xinhua) — The Catalan regional authority on Friday denied a report that appeared in the Japanese newspaper Nikkei on Thursday that automaker Nissan is planning to close its car factory in Barcelona and move production to other plants.
The Catalan region's Vice President Pere Aragones, who is also responsible for economy and finance, said on the Spanish radio network Radio 4 that Catalan authorities "were in contact with the company and unions. Nissan tells us they have not taken a decision yet and one will be made on May 28."
The Nissan plant in Barcelona currently employs around 3,000 people directly and is also responsible for thousands of other posts in the logistics and transport sectors. Workers at the plant have been on strike since the start of the month because of the uncertainty over their future and the possible risk of working during the coronavirus pandemic.
Aragones said authorities would do "everything possible" to keep production at the plant. "There is nothing decided at the moment, but we can't be overconfident," he said.
Meanwhile, Spain's Minister of Economy and Business Nadia Calvino said that she had not been informed of possible closure and that Spain was a "strategic" country for the automobile industry.