Electrolux, the agreement in the night: redundancies halved and the Cerreto factory does not close

ROME - Overnight, a hypothesis of agreement was reached between Electrolux and the metalworkers' unions at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy. The agreement, developed after weeks of discussion and a marathon session lasting more than two days between the company and Fim, Fiom and Uilm, should put an end to the dispute that started in May, after the multinational had announced 1,700 redundancies and the closure of the Cerreto d'Esi plant in the province of Ancona. Since May the picture has changed. The agreement focuses on the voluntary nature of the exits, accompanied by economic incentives and industrial and protection commitments linked to the main Italian factories.

At the center of the agreement is the chapter on exits. Today, around 4 thousand people work at Electrolux in Italy. The factories most affected by this agreement are Porcia and Susegana with over 300 releases each. In three years, 918 voluntary exits will be possible with a distribution between 390 production workers, 16 laboratory workers, 512 office workers. Compared to the 1,719 units communicated by the Swedish multinational in May, the agreement introduces a change of approach. To make the workers' decision more sustainable, a system of early retirement incentives is envisaged, with amounts that can reach up to 95 thousand euros.

But in the agreement there is also particular attention to maintaining functions and activities considered strategic on the national territory. The company is in fact committed to maintaining "administrative" and "research and development" functions and a "significant share of production" in Italy.

One of the most discussed parts concerns Cerreto d'Esi where it is indicated that the site does not close. Production continuity is expected, with recourse to social safety nets until an investor is identified for the reindustrialization of the plant. At the moment, 149 workers are employed in Cerreto d'Esi and the guarantee of continuity represents a decisive element for the territory.

Same attention, albeit on a different level, also for Porcia, in the province of Pordenone. Here the company undertakes to maintain approximately "70% of washer dryer production", a figure that aims to safeguard production and employment volumes, at least in the transition phase. In Forlì, the plans and medium-high range gas ovens have been confirmed with 15 million investments, in Susegana, in the province of Treviso, the production of medium-high range refrigerators will continue, in addition to the premium and Swiss range: 18.5 million investments are expected. In Solaro, in the province of Milan, dishwashers will be produced with a commitment of 35 million.

Full production at the Italian sites should reach "3.2 million pieces".

For the period 2027-2029 Electrolux indicates a total investment of 100 million euros, 75% of which will be allocated to product development and 25% to process innovations. On the social side, a specific point concerns the management of the Cigs: a rotation in use is envisaged for both workers and employees. The agreement also introduces a clause that tries to prevent imbalances. If the exits exceed the agreed redundancies, equal to 918, the company undertakes to reinstate staff, giving priority to those who have worked in the past with fixed-term or temporary contracts. There also remains the expectation of evaluating the use of expansion contracts, a tool that can help manage the trend of volumes and needs.

The agreement will have to be voted on and approved by workers at the Italian sites through a referendum to be held in the next few days.