Tarragona is at the centre of Dow’s latest restructuring in Spain, after the US chemical multinational announced on Wednesday that it will cut 138 jobs across its Spanish operations, with most of the losses affecting its petrochemical facilities in Tarragona.
Dow employs 687 people in Tarragona, out of 732 workers in Spain. The announcement has prompted support statements from both the Catalan and Spanish governments, which said they would stand by affected staff.
Sources from the Catalan government's Department of Business and Labour told Diari de Tarragona that the government “expresses its support for all individuals who may be affected by this process. We will act with determination in their professional accompaniment.”
The department also said it is working on “anticipation and mediation to promote training, business modernisation, and a commitment to reindustrialisation to generate productive activity and new opportunities for workers affected by restructuring processes.” It added that the chemical sector is strategic for Catalonia, and said the region is the fifth worldwide and second in the European Union for attracting foreign direct investment projects in the sector over the last five years.
From Madrid, sources at the Ministry of Industry and Tourism told Diari de Tarragona that the job reduction is “undoubtedly bad news for Tarragona and for the industrial sector as a whole.” The ministry said Tarragona hosts southern Europe’s most significant petrochemical hub, a strategic complex responsible for about 25% of Spain’s chemical production and nearly 50% of Catalonia’s total chemical output.
The ministry also said the Spanish government has worked to strengthen industrial competitiveness through measures such as aid to offset indirect CO2 costs for energy-intensive industries and projects financed through the PERTE for Industrial Decarbonisation. It said it wants industry to remain rooted in the territory, generating quality employment, attracting investment, and supporting reindustrialisation in Spain and Europe. More Catalonia news
