Tyre maker Bridgestone to cut 546 jobs in Spain on uncertainty, competition

MADRID (Reuters) -Japanese tyremaker Bridgestone said it plans to cut jobs at two factories in northern Spain in reaction to an adverse evolution of the European market and the rise of non-European products.

The company plans to cut 546 jobs at two factories making tyres for tractors, other farm vehicles, buses and trucks in Cantabria and the Basque Country in northern Spain, local union UGT said on Tuesday.

UGT and other unions have said they will call for a strike at the two factories, without providing details.

Bridgestone Hispania, the company's local unit, has 2,800 employees, UGT said.

Given the market situation, characterised by inflation, uncertainty and regulatory changes, Bridgestone said it needs an "adjustment" of its production capacity.

The move to cut capacity and costs in Europe is the latest in an industry that indirectly suffers from the travails of the European car industry.

Late last year, Michelin, Bridgestone's French rival, had announced job cuts and factory closures in France, citing high costs and cheap Asian competition.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Editing by Louise Heavens)