Italy uses the hard fist against Whirlpool, but the solution of the problem is still far away. As promised, upon expiry of the seven-day ultimatum, the Minister of Economic Development, Luigi Di Maio, withdrew public aid for 15 million euros from the household appliance company.
"It's the money of the Italians - said the deputy prime minister grillino in a video on Facebook - those 50 million that they have taken from 2014 to today and that I am starting to withdraw from them because they have not been cooperative and keep saying they want to disengage from the Naples plant. In Italy we don't joke anymore, the Bengodi era is over”.
The negotiation starts again today at 17 pm, when the discussion table will resume at the Ministry of Economic Development.
Meanwhile, Whirlpool replied to Di Maio emphasizing “that he has never yet canceled the agreement signed in October and above all of not have the intention of closing the Naples site, but to be committed to finding a solution that guarantees industrial continuity and the highest levels of employment”.
In fact, the company re-proposes the same press release already released at the end of May and does not even hypothesize a possible solution: "During the meeting at the ministry - concludes Whirlpool - we hope to be able to start the process with the institutions present and the trade union organizations aimed at to settle the dispute".
To date, the only way out would be to transfer the plant to a possible third party. However, the project meets with the opposition of the trade unions, because the company had undertaken to move the production of high-end washing machines to Naples.
The leader of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, he said that "it's not that by removing the incentives Whirlpool can leave and close the factories, the point is to enforce the commitments that have been made".
For the Uil of Carmelo Barbagallo "it is a first step to put a stop to the excessive power of multinationals", while second Annamaria Furlan (Cisl) the fact that "the government has finally struck a blow" is good news.
