The Valérius group will proceed with a collective dismissal of 22 workers at the Alcains unit, a decision that once again places the company at the center of labor concerns in the region. According to SIC Notícias, the measure is scheduled for the end of December and comes in a context in which there is no indication that the factory will close, although the local environment once again reflects apprehension.
According to the same source, the company had been recovered in 2022, after a period marked by the bankruptcy of the former Dielmar, whose history included more than eight million euros of public investment without results that prevented closure.
A factory reopened and now in adjustment again
The recovery of the unit was announced with the maintenance of around 200 jobs, in addition to the adaptation of production to markets considered more appropriate to the current industry context. The Valérius group, which had already intervened in other companies in the sector, benefited from state and community support, receiving more than 15 million euros through the capitalization and resilience fund included in the PRR.
The publication adds that, since then, the number of workers has been decreasing. Financial data associated with the company’s past includes a debt of more than 17 million euros accumulated before recovery, an element that marked several moments in Dielmar’s evolution over the last few decades.
Recent history and impact on the community
The factory, founded in 1965, employed more than 400 people and has always played an important role in the municipality of Castelo Branco, both due to the tradition of tailoring and the economic weight it represented. The recent past, however, has been described as winding, marked by closures, reopenings and public support processes.
The current adjustment arises in a market context that has led several companies in the textile sector to review structures and costs. The local mayor, cited by the same source, claims to have received guarantees from the group’s leadership that the company’s future is not in question and that the now announced dismissal reflects operational needs and not a new threat of closure.
Between expectations and uncertainties
According to , the population of Alcains is following the process closely, remembering the impact that the previous closure had on the region. The announcement of the cuts revived this history, although the factory’s continuity was reiterated by the entities involved.
For many of the workers, the decision represents another chapter in a company whose trajectory has alternated between recovery and retraction, in a sector particularly exposed to market fluctuations.
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