By Sofía Renó
En esta noticia
The Nidec Motors & Actuators Spain motor plant in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Barcelona, will close after nearly 30 years in operation. The multinational’s decision, which has kept the plant open since 1998, confirms the uncertainty facing nearly 100 workers who have spent months fighting to keep their jobs.
The employees now face layoffs after years of negotiations and temporary layoff filings (ERTE). Meanwhile, production at the plant will be moved to other company facilities in Poland, India, and Serbia. The city government has offered free assistance to workers to help them find other jobs.
Nidec Confirms Closure of Its Barcelona Plant After Nearly 30 Years
The decision to shut down the plant became known after a meeting held on October 16 between workers’ representatives, the mayor of Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Juan Carlos Mingueza, and the councilor for Local Development, Business, and Employment, Laura Oliver. According to the city government on Oct. 27, 2026, Nidec management communicated its final decision.
The plant, located in the Can Vinyals industrial park, has been operating since 1998 and has about 100 employees. Many of them have spent virtually their entire working lives at the facility, so their age and professional experience could make it harder to find new jobs.
Laura Oliver described the impact of the decision on workers and said that “Nidec’s workforce is experiencing this closure with sadness, resilience, outrage, and a fighting spirit.”
The local government said it had tried to mediate in order to find alternatives that would allow industrial activity to continue. To that end, it arranged meetings between the company and the Catalonia regional government’s Department of Business and Labor to explore possible forms of support.
Workers Have Faced Seven ERTEs Since 2020, and Production Will Move Abroad
The closure comes after several years of labor difficulties. According to a city government report in April 2026, the plant had accumulated seven temporary layoff filings (ERTE) since 2020. Workers had spent six years trying to keep the operation going and were calling for an industrial plan that would guarantee the future of the facility.
In that context, workers began an indefinite strike on March 20, 2026. They were walking off the job for four hours per shift and gathering outside the plant between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The works council had put forward various proposals to secure a future industrial plan and job guarantees for the 100 employees. After months of negotiations, it managed to agree on a job guarantees plan, although the multinational’s final decision has changed the situation, and workers now face layoffs.
One of the main concerns is the transfer of activity to other facilities in the group. According to the city government, the workload that had been handled in Santa Perpètua will be shifted to Nidec plants in Poland, India, and Serbia.
Employees also defend the role the Catalan plant played in the development of motors for the automotive sector, both for the multinational’s European and Asian facilities.
City Government Offers Free Help to Find New Job Opportunities
In response to the permanent closure, the Santa Perpètua de Mogoda city government has made the free services of Local Development available to workers. The goal is for them to learn about the tools available to face their job search and find new professional opportunities.
The situation is especially difficult for those who have worked for the same company for decades and now have to re-enter the labor market. The local government has said that the age of part of the workforce could become an obstacle to getting another job.
The shutdown also marks a change for Nidec, a multinational specializing in the manufacture of electric motors. According to data published on its corporate website, the company has more than 100,000 employees, a presence in more than 40 countries and more than 350 group companies.
Nidec describes itself as the world’s No. 1 comprehensive motor manufacturer and says it works on products ranging from the smallest motors to the largest. It also says it seeks to strengthen its technical and competitive capabilities through innovation and mergers and acquisitions.
The closure in Santa Perpètua is therefore taking place amid a restructuring of the group’s industrial operations, while nearly 100 workers must confront the loss of their jobs and look for new work options.