PS fears losses due to closure of Ecco and PCP anticipates vulnerable families

OmEPs of the PS and the PCP expressed concern today about the closure of the footwear factory Ecco, in Santa Maria da Feira, for causing losses to the national economy and family vulnerability to 632 new unemployed.

The issue is the announcement, on Monday, of the “total and definitive closure”, made by the Danish multinational, which had been operating since 1984 a factory in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira, Aveiro district and Porto Metropolitan Area.

In a statement, the Socialist Members have already asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs for clarification on the reasons behind this decision, which the company told Lusa was due to a “wider restructuring of the global productive organisation of Ecco”, which will also involve the closure of the factory in Vietnam and could mean “a reduction of about 400 jobs in the regional and global functions of the Group, including Denmark”.

For the PS, the factory of the parish of São João de Ver had been taking on “a relevant role in the national footwear industry, in the exporting capacity [of the country] and in the creation of employment in Santa Maria da Feira”, so it is important to know what measures the Government intends to take “to minimize the economic, industrial and social impacts” of the closure of the unit, which the union of the sector plans to complete by the end of the first quarter of 2027.

“ The closure represents a very significant loss for the local and national economy, not only by the direct impact on hundreds of workers and their families, but also by the destruction of industrial capacity, technical knowledge and specialized skills accumulated over decades,” says the socialist communiqué.

The party therefore argues that “the government cannot simply passively monitor a decision with this economic and social dimension, and it is essential to act, to seek alternatives to preserve industrial activity and jobs, and to ensure that the workers concerned have concrete answers to this situation”.

Questioning the ministry also about “the possible allocation of public, national or European support to the company or to group companies”, PS Members also want to know “what steps will be taken to assess alternatives to closure, including the possibility of entering new investors or transferring the holding to another economic operator”.

MEPs of the CFP point out that, after 40 years of work in Portugal, Ecco was “one of the largest shoe producers” in the country and, “when closed, it will leave several families in a situation of vulnerability and fragility”.

From this point of view, the Communists have already questioned the Ministry of Labour and Social Security because it considers it “fundamental to understand whether the Government will take steps to ensure the work of the manufacturing unit and the maintenance of jobs”.

This Monday, before the meeting in which you informed the workers of your 22 departments, the production of Ecco Portugal was already suspended.

In a statement, the management of the factory said shortly after that this was “a particularly difficult decision for the company, taking into account the awareness of the impact it will have on workers, their families and the local community”.

In the same document, the director-general of the Portuguese unit, Gustavo Kremer, added: “For over 40 years, workers in Portugal were an important part of the Ecco family and contributed significantly to the development and success of the brand. This decision is not a reflection of your work or the quality of what is being done here. We will always be grateful for that contribution.”.