21.10.16 More on Strike; Coops Look to Merge with Dcoop

As the strike enters its third day tensions are rising; the unions and Fedejerez are meeting again with renewed determination to reach agreement before the strike gets out of hand. Those who work in bodega offices and shops are not striking as they belong to different unions, and police are escorting them into work as well as protecting vehicles entering and leaving the bodegas.

According to the unions, many small bodegas are expressing support for the workers’ demands, even though they are less able than the big bodegas to pay more. Despite the occasional incident, Evaristo Babé, president of Fedejerez, is hopeful that the two parties can agree today and put an end to a strike which harms everyone. He considers that the distance between the parties was not sufficient to call a strike and that not all the workers were in favour of it, and further, he says that Fedejerez is completely united.

Police escort tanker from a bodega (foto:diariodejerez)

The seven Cooperatives of the Marco de Jerez are looking at ways to integrate with the super cooperative Dcoop or to create a group of economic interest. Between them the 3,000 coop members own half the Sherry vineyards and have an annual turnover of 12 million euros. Discussions have been delayed by the harvest and the strike, but are continuing as the members feel that joining such a large entity would increase their competitiveness. Dcoop encompasses cooperatives in Castilla-la-Mancha and Pais Vasco as well as Andalucia and the Sherry coops hope that joining it will also help mitigate price speculation and curb excess production.