Rottapharm negotiation: redundancies in Monza drop from 92 to 59

Monza, 2 dicembre 2014 – Da 92 redundancies to 59 (with the possibility of further reducing this number) e incentives for voluntary exitria. These are the results of yesterday's meeting, held at the headquarters of Confindustria Brianza, between the pharmaceutical company Rottapharm/Madaus and the trade unions. A "picture" that will be illustrated to the workers on Wednesday at the meeting (on Thursday there will be one with drug informants) and which it is hoped will lead to the signing of a real agreement as early as Friday when a new summit is scheduled between the company and labor unions. But how did we go from 92 redundancies (announced just last November 18) to 59? About twenty people should be relocated in Rottapharm Biotech (the part of research remained in the hands of the Rovati family after the sale to the Swedish Meda of the administrative and production branch of Rottapharm/Madaus). Mainly the employees of the quality laboratory that Meda has decided to close in the Monza office in via Valosa di Sopra would be hired (people would have already been contacted) in Biotech. In this way, around 72 cuts would be reached.

From these, as regards the trade union negotiation, 5 managers must be removed, thus dropping to 67 redundancies. Another 8 people would be "saved" in the administrative area, up to 59 cuts. But the number could drop further. Of the dozen redundancies identified in the «general services» (reception, bellboys, cleaning), five could remain working at the Rottapharm site, essentially carrying out the same tasks, but hired by an external company (probably the company that already provides these services in the Italian offices in Meda). For the others, mobility and the choice of a voluntary exit will remain with incentives that will see a fixed part of the month's salary the same for everyone and a variable based on age, company seniority and dependent family members. Therefore, the corporate restructuring plan presented by Meda, the Scandinavian drug multinational which bought Rottapharm/Madaus for 2 billion and 275 million euros, has a less traumatic impact, even if not completely painless. Rottapharm/Madaus employs around 320 in Italy (to which must be added 270 drug sales reps and sales staff). Of these 320, more or less 200 are in the Monza headquarters. The rest are in the Confienza (Pavia) factory which is not affected by the cuts. Redundancies determined above all by the "overlapping" of some roles and professional figures that Meda already has in Italy. Operation in which the Rovati family (founders of Rottapharm) remained the owners of the research laboratories under the banner of Rottapharm Biotech. A hundred researchers who will now be joined by twenty employees reabsorbed from the cuts announced by Meda.

A story which on Monday of last week had led to the first strike in history in Rottapharm. A company born in a basement. From here Luigi Rovati (born in 1928) had left in 1961. A small studio/laboratory (initially three worked there: Luigi, in fact, an assistant and a secretary) which over the years had become a capable colossus, from the headquarters in Monza and the production site in Confienza (Pavia), to bring its products (including names such as Saugella, Dona, Agiolax and Zymo) to 90 countries around the world. From the workshop to a giant with 1,800 employees worldwide (480 in Italy alone), with five plants in Europe and India and consolidated revenues of 536 million euros.

fabio.lombardi@ilgiorno.net

2 dicembre 2014 – QN Il Giorno Monza Brianza

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