Relief for the 422 workers at the Campi Bisenzio (Florence) plant of Gkn, a British automotive components company. The labor court has in fact accepted the appeal of the Fiom union, which started after Gkn had notified its employees of the decision to fire them via email. According to the judge, the company has violated article 28 of the Workers’ Statute, implementing anti-union behavior. Today there is a table with the company at the Ministry of Economic Development, which will also be attended by the president of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani: “I am satisfied, the sentence of the Court that cancels the dismissals wanted by Melrose allows all of us to speak of work, territory and production. To avoid the recurrence of these episodes it is essential that the government intervene with specific legislation ”.
The text of the sentence
With this decision, the Court of Florence condemns the company to “revoke the letter of opening the collective redundancy procedure” of 9 July last.
In the decree sanctioning the revocation, judge Anita Maria Brigida Davia writes that Gkn “has violated the information obligations against the trade unions”. As for the respect of the role of the union itself – clarifies the judge – the closure of 24 hours for ‘collective par’ appears significant, agreed with motivation which subsequently proved to be spurious and artfully programmed for the day following that set to decide the cessation of activity, in so as to be able to communicate the aforementioned termination to the workers and to the union with the factory already closed ».
The company will also have to pay court fees to the applicant union: “9,300 euros plus VAT, cpa and general expenses contribution”.
Among the first comments to arrive there is that of Enrico Letta, secretary of the Democratic Party, on Twitter:
The workers were right, the trade unions were right and we were right to accuse it #GKN of having violated every rule. The Court of Florence sanctioned it. Now stop and turn the page.
– Enrico Letta (@EnricoLetta) September 20, 2021
The comments of politics and trade unions
«The call of the Gkn table for today at Mise has been confirmed. The lifting of collective redundancies is a first big step for the workers who have been garrisoning the Campi Bisenzio plant for months. This result certifies the synergistic efforts carried out by the institutions, by the trade unions, by the workers and by the whole community which from the first moment supported the territory in this difficult battle ». To affirm it is the Deputy Minister for Economic Development, Alessandra Todde commenting on the sentence of the Court of Florence which revoked the dismissal procedure at Gkn. “In recent months we have called the table twice, we have never interrupted discussions with the parties and we have worked in a difficult context with a company that has lost its sense of social responsibility. Now we have to be concrete, because when we talk about 422 workers, plus the related industries, we are talking about families ”, underlines Todde.
“I am satisfied, the sentence of the Court that cancels the dismissals wanted by Melrose allows all of us to talk about work, territory and production”, commented the president of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, that this afternoon he will be in Rome at the Ministry of Economic Development. “We are fighting so that it never happens again that international funds can afford to acquire pieces of our land and our industries to then unload us as if we were waste. It is essential that the Government intervene with specific legislation ».
The sentence confirms us – Enrico Letta, leader of the Democratic Party, explained – the need for measures such as those that the Government is imagining with Minister Orlando, which completely review the methods of relations with the multinationals of the territories, and this also concerns Naples with Whirlpool ». “The government – he added – is working on a text that will come out in the next few days and is a necessity. Other countries in Europe have already moved in this direction and we also from Naples, thinking of Whirlpool and the fate of its workers, believe that we must take a step forward ».
“The revocation of the letter initiating the dismissal procedure for the workers of Gkn” is excellent news, we hope that this will bring common sense to the part of the property, and get them to sit around a table “, said Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva. “There are good ideas to save Gkn and hundreds of jobs, provided that we get serious about discussing, and not doing the backlash that the company has wanted to do up to now”, added Renzi , according to which “it is essential that we sit around the table, that the government does its part, and that we try everything to avoid that the Gkn in Campi ends as it happened two years ago – he concluded, referring to the Bekaert dispute – in a similar dramatic event in Figline Valdarno ».
“The decision of the Labor Court of Florence was important because it called for respect for the law, even on the part of multinationals” he declared the lawyer Franco Focareta, who with the lawyer Andrea Stramaccia assisted Fiom in the appeal: “It is not true that in this case, as has been said by several parties and as voices from Confindustria have also underlined, the freedom of enterprise has been questioned, but as the Constitution also provides, that the freedom of enterprise is exercised in compliance with the rules ”, Focareta continued.
A call to cease divisions has come from Debora Serracchiani, leader of the Pd group in the Chamber: «Orta is up to politics. We must quickly give the country clear and balanced rules that prevent unmotivated and unregulated relocations. Divisions should be put aside in the name of the interests of workers and the dignity of Italy ».
Criticism of the government
“There are still laws in this country,” he commented the national secretary of the Italian Left Nicola Fratoianni. “Now the ball is up to the Draghi government whose silence after the massive demonstration on Saturday is truly incomprehensible. Now intervene and find a solution for the Campi Bisenzio factory. There are only two things to do: reintroduce the redundancy block, and adopt effective rules against relocations. “Perhaps Giorgetti has not yet understood – concludes Fratoianni – that he is a minister of the Republic and not of an employer organization. In the meantime, we can breathe a sigh of relief. The fight pays off ».
The decision of Gkn had thrilled the entire political landscape, generating attacks from the Italian Left, 5 Stars and Pd, up to Lega and Fratelli d’Italia.
The story
After the notification conentente the initiation of the procdure for the dismissal of the employees of Campi Bisenzio arrived via e-mail, without any notice regarding the decisions that the company was taking on the staff, for Gkn a lot of criticism had rained. The government had obviously expressed itself on the issue, with Labor Minister Andrea Orlando who had judged the British company’s move to be “unacceptable”. Strong positions had come from both the trade unions, which had pointed to the company as “responsible for the enormous social and economic damage” caused.
The company had justified the decision with a huge drop in turnover, whose forecasts estimated a decline of almost 50% by 2025 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Immediately after the news of the decision of the British Melorse fund that controls the company, the blue tutu had reached the plant anyway to guard the factory day and night. The workers who came that morning found themselves in front of bouncers, after the company had proceeded at dawn with the evacuation of the technical equipment necessary for the production of drive shafts for various car manufacturers including FCA and Volkswagen.
In August Gkn had reiterated its willingness to activate the procedures for the 12-month layoff for. The option was not feasible, as all the main counterparties – company and trade unions – did not sit at the table. The withdrawal of layoffs has always been the only way forward for trade unions, despite the fact that this solution was never taken into consideration by the company, which justified the dismissal with the need for “efficiency and staff reduction” resulting from a drastic drop in sales.