Il technical table to the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy it ends without an agreementAfter two days of negotiations, Electrolux confirmed the substantial part of the industrial plan for the Italian plants, including the closure of the Cerreto d'Esi site e 1.450 redundancies. Added to these is the failure to renew 135 temporary workers.
I sindacati, Fim, Fiom and Uilm judge the changes are insufficient presented by the multinational and they proclaim an eight-hour strike in all plants, with procedures to be defined later. The three federations also request the urgent convening of a new meeting with the minister and the involved regions, considering the technical discussion phase now concluded.
Electrolux does not withdraw its industrial plan
In the joint statement released at the end of the meetings, Fim, Fiom and Uilm explain that Electrolux has re-examined the situation of each Italian plant, introducing only limited fixes compared to the initial proposal. The main the future of Cerreto d'Esi remains a sticking pointAccording to unions, the multinational has shown no willingness to reconsider its decision to close the Marche plant.
even the downsizing of redundancies, dropped from the 1.719 initially announced to 1.450, it is not considered sufficient“Not only has Electrolux’s infamous industrial plan not been withdrawn, but it has actually been largely confirmed,” say the metalworkers’ organizations.
According to the unions, the formal reduction in declared redundant positions does not reflect the full extent of the employment contraction. The 1.450 redundancies 135 forward contracts must be added together close to expiring that Electrolux does not intend to renew. The permanent staffMeanwhile, the number of employees has already decreased. Between April and August, the number of employees increased from 4.279 to 4.200, while another 91 temporary workers have already left the company upon the expiration of their contracts.
The reorganization would have heavy consequences also on the Susegana plant, in the province of Treviso. The Veneto site would be redundant by 180 employees out of a total of 360, to which would be added 240 workers. This impact, local representatives consider difficult to sustain.
Lines up to 140 pieces per hour and a single shift
La distance between companies and unions it's not just about redundanciesDuring the meeting, Electrolux reportedly expressed its intention to overturn the agreements governing work organization at the various plants. The agreements currently in force establish, factory by factory, limits on assembly line speeds and the maximum number of pieces to be produced per hour. The company would like to increase the cadences instead, providing for ergonomic improvements and compliance with maximum saturations, up to reaching a ceiling of 140 pieces per hour.
The plan would also aim to consolidate a single shift, known as "day shift," at the plants. For FIM, FIOM, and UILM, these are particularly burdensome demands, which are not matched by a substantial rethinking of redundancies and layoffs. Electrolux's position, the three unions denounce, "would require great sacrifices from workers and enormous efforts from the government," while continuing to propose job cuts and closures.
Eight hours of strike and request for a political roundtable
Electrolux would have also reiterated the need for public intervention on the factors affecting the competitiveness of European production. Specifically, the multinational has asked the Italian government to promote a reform of the CBAM, the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, at EU level.
For the unionsHowever, any institutional initiatives cannot be accompanied by a plan that maintains the closure of Cerreto d'Esi, hundreds of missed renewals, and 1.450 redundancies. FIM, FIOM, and UILM therefore express "strong opposition" and consider "the so-called technical discussions to be exhausted."
La the dispute now moves onto the political and mobilization terrainThe organizations are calling for an immediate reconvening of the meeting with the minister and the affected regions, with the aim of using "every possible lever to change the multinational's mind." Pending a response from the government, an eight-hour strike and continued unrest have been called. The negotiations are not formally concluded, but the meeting at the Mimit meeting did not produce the expected breakthrough, and the gap between Electrolux and the workers' representatives remains wide.
