Category Archives: Industry

[en] Electrolux proposes halving Italian workers’ wages

Posted on 2014/02/04 by Struggles in Italy

It is certainly not a coincidence that Electrolux’s proposal came just after the signing of the new agreement on union representation, when in the eyes of big business the Italian unions look friendlier than ever. But, nevertheless, what the Swedish multinational manufacturer … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, Unions, [en] | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

[en] Unions sign up to the repression of trade union rights

Posted on 2014/01/18 by Struggles in Italy

It should have been just the implementation decree for the 31 May agreement but it has turned into a new agreement, with an even harsher level of repression against workers’ struggles. The agreement regulates relations between Confindustria (the major employers’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, [en] | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

[en] Logistics workers’ struggle described “as worrying as mafia-related events”

Posted on 2013/12/12 by Struggles in Italy

Giovanni Monti, president of Legacoop Emilia-Romagna, was reported by the Bologna edition of La Repubblica as saying that “these manipulative kind of events which are on the increase among political extremists, as we’ve seen in Bologna, and which target cooperatives … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, Migrant struggles, [en] | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

[en] Bullying and blackmail by ILVA’s owners: 1500 fired after new requisition

Posted on 2013/09/18 by Struggles in Italy

Public prosecutor Patrizia Todisco has spoken: the Riva group, owner of the ILVA plant in Taranto – the biggest steel plant in Europe – has failed to invest in safety and renovation measures since 1995. This failure, to the tune … Continue reading →

Posted in Commons, Environment, Health, Industry, Labour, [en] | Tagged , | 1 Comment

[en] Midnight flits. Chronicling summer activity in Milan, Modena and Forlì

Posted on 2013/08/30 by Struggles in Italy

Until this year, late summer newspapers were always filled with articles about burglaries. “Family returns from holiday and finds home emptied by thieves” was a typical headline. This year, though, it has been factories emptied, and those sneaking in during … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, [en] | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

[en] Layoffs at Indesit

Posted on 2013/07/02 by Struggles in Italy

In 2012, Indesit employed 4,568 workers in Italy but October 2012 saw an attempt to lay off 500 workers and move some production to Poland. The company’s 2013 “safeguard & rationalize” restructuring plan has the same direction of travel: 1,425 … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, [en] | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

[en] Confederated unions and industrialists sign anti-strike agreement

Posted on 2013/06/10 by Struggles in Italy

June 1st saw the beginning of a new era in Italian labour policy, with a new agreement about union representation signed by the three union confederations and Confindustria (the national association of industrialists). The agreement came after a long build-up … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, Unions, [en] | 3 Comments

[en] Steel workers attacked by police in Terni

Posted on 2013/06/05 by Struggles in Italy

On June 5th, hundreds of striking workers marched through the streets of Terni, supported by the unions CGIL, CISL and UIL. They were protesting against the lack of a future for their plant, the former Thyssenkrupp steel plant, now owned … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, Unions, [en] | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

[en] 500 logistics workers march through Bologna

Posted on 2013/06/03 by Struggles in Italy

At least 500 people joined the demonstration organized by the Si Cobas union in Bologna, to protest against the layoff of 50 logistics workers who have been involved, over the last few months, in harsh struggles for fair salaries and … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, Tertiary and services, Unions, [en] | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

[en] Not Jolly: Genoa dock workers protest after the disaster

Posted on 2013/05/10 by Struggles in Italy

Two workers are still missing and seven were found dead at the Port of Genoa, after the Jolly Nero, a cargo ship, hit the pilots’ control tower on the night of Tuesday May 7. The city is in mourning. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry, Labour, Tertiary and services, Unions, [en] | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment