[en] Omsa workers call to boycott

In 60 days, in Faenza, North of Italy, 239 Omsa workers will lose their jobs and their redundancy payments. One of the most important Italian textile productive centers will eventually terminate its activities.

Omsa is one of the most important socks and underwear Italian brands. It is part of the Golden Lady group that owns many other brands and employs about 7000 workers around the world. Golden Lady Company is the world biggest producer of female and fashion socks, and in the past 20 years it has acquired many other companies such as SiSi, Filodoro, Philippe Matignon, Ny Legs, Hue, Arwa and, in 1992, Omsa.

In March 2010 the Group started a relocation plan and Faenza’s plant will be moved to Serbia. The decision has been made following mere profits analysis because Omsa has never been in financial difficulties. On the contrary it has always been an efficient and productive factory. For this reason, the workers – the vast majority of them are women – have protested against the company’s managers, even resorting to boycott appeals. Now that the redundancy payment period is coming to an end and no solution has been found to save Faenza’s factory, a new big call has been spread.

In February 2011 the company signed an agreement in which it promised to reallocate the plant until a buyer for the factory is found. However, nothing has been done to avoid workers unemployment. On December the 27th they received from the company the confirmation of its intention to definitely end their contracts in March.

Meanwhile Omsa boycott page on Facebook, “Mai più Omsa”, has gathered more than 96.000 adhesions, and the campaign will reach its peak on January the 31st. Coop, the retailers Italian leader, has stated that it is considering the option to support the campaign.

At the same time the workers continue their protest initiatives in the North of Italy in Faenza, Mantova (where Golden Lady has another factory) and Castiglione delle Stiviere, Golden Lady’s founder and owner Nerino Grassi birthplace and central base of the company.

Related Articles:

[en] Factory women

Sources:

[en] Omsa plant is outsourced -RaiNews Video
[en] Omsa boycott – Revoltingeurope.wordpress.com
[it] Facebook Boycott event
[it] Il Fatto Quotidiano
[it] Coop supermarket could stop selling Omsa stockings – Il Fatto Quotidiano
[it] Ravenna24Ore