On February 5, about 1,800 workers of Acerinox began a planned indefinite strike, due to the lack of agreement to carry out a new collective agreement between the Spanish company and the workers committee.

In response to the indefinite strike, Acerinox began on Sunday, February 4, to stop the machines at its factory in Palmones, Spain. The plant represents the second-largest exporting company in Andalusia and one of its main employers in the province.

Furthermore, amid competition from China in the stainless steel sector and rising energy costs, Acerinox has planned an investment of EUR 67 million to diversify the production of the stainless steel plant with an alloys division, which is for a high-performance market with higher added value.