The Industrial Association of Lodi, headquarters of the negotiations.
Lodi, 24 August 2010 – First the good news: in the last two weeks the local unions have not received any faxes from companies asking for layoffs and redundancies for their employees, nor from multinationals declaring redundancies and thinking to lower the shutters. But from September onwards the temperature of union negotiations will skyrocket to patch up the many open crises that the summer has left unresolved. First of all, the case of Schering Plough, a drug multinational with a factory in Comazzo that wants to send home 130 workers and some scientific informants.
"By mid-September we will meet with the company at the Ministry's headquarters in Rome," announces Domenico Campagnoli, local secretary of the CGIL. For now, the triple union has taken to the streets with the distribution of leaflets on market days and during the summer open-air shows. To underline that "the crisis does not go on vacation". Unfortunately, hopes are low on the Schering Ploug front. "I have rarely seen a multinational change its mind," says Giampiero Bernazzani, CISL delegate for the chemical sector. Campagnoli (Cgil) adds: "We will appeal to all the parliamentarians in the area but I have the bad feeling that we are faced with already established plans".
The Areva and Nilfisk cases are also open. Luca Magnani, delegate of the CGIL, explains: «For Nilfisk we have scheduled a meeting in September to take stock. The extraordinary redundancy fund expires in November even if only 2 weeks were paid for 7 workers in November 2009. Then the increase in the production of industrial sweepers made it possible to absorb the workers assigned to the washer-dryers, a department destined to move to Hungary». The unions will try to save another 15 jobs in the Guardamiglio plant. For Areva, still in Guardamiglio, the outsourcing of the logistics, resins and carpentry departments will start in September.
"In the meantime - says Magnani - out of the 81 redundancies declared, it will be necessary to fight to guarantee a place for 20 logistics workers who - according to the plan signed by the unions and the company - should be rehired on equal terms by the company which will be entrusted with the assignment. At least 15 workers have said that they will be redeployed with the economic incentive (40,000 euros, ed). But it will be necessary to finalize the negotiations to understand how many will be able, between mobility and layoffs, to have the slide towards retirement ». The fate of Polenghi Mario di Codogno remains uncertain. “The owners want to sell but there are no solid offers – says Magnani -. We asked Assolodi for a meeting, 30 workers are at risk ».
And even if the Akzo Nobel will close its doors, the biggest game remains the industrial relaunch of the plant. «Someone had come forward, but everything fell through – says Bernazzani -
