Costa Blanca
Foreign construction workers facing redundancy in the Valencia region
By h.b.
Sep 2, 2008 - 7:57 AM

The increase in unemployment among construction workers in Alicante is affecting foreigners in particular. The Valencia College of Engineers and unions UGT and CCOO have said that September and October will see most of the buildings currently under construction being completed, and then unemployment rates are expected to increase dramatically in the region.

It’s estimated that foreigners make up some 25% of construction workers in the Valencia region, and generally being less qualified, they are the ones expected to be shown the door first.

The unions UGT and CCOO expect many of the workers from Latin America to return to the countries of origin as a consequence, taking advantage of Government programs encouraging them to do so provided they remain out of Spain for three years.

Ventura Montalbán from the CCOO union says that about 50,000 construction workers from the Valencia region are expected to be made redundant between now and the end of next year, half of them foreigners.