Agreement reached for Mascioni: no job losses

After a 3-hour meeting, in the offices of UNIVA (the Varese Union of Industrialists), the trade unions (FILCTEM-CGIL, FEMCA-CISL and UILTEC-UIL) and the owners of Mascioni SpA produced a framework agreement. There will be no unilateral dismissals, but extraordinary redundancy for 12 months, mobility and voluntary early retirement, incentives to leave the company and training using inter-professional funds.

Mascioni SpA, the historic textile company in Cuvio, which is part of the Zucchi Group, employs 320 people and is an important part of the textile supply chain in Varese. In the last few days, with the announcement of a drastic reduction in the workforce (there was talk of at least 150 dismissals), and with the inclusion of a Spanish Fund among the owners, the story of this company seemed to be heading inexorably towards a sad ending. However, for the moment, the agreement reached between the two sides appears to prevent this conclusion.

“We did everything we could to reduce the social impact of this situation,” Ermanno Donghi, of FILCTEM CGIL, said on the spur of the moment. “Now, we have to get the authorisation for the continuity agreement and then, go ahead. Considering the premises, this is a great result.”

The requests contained in the agreement include a technical meeting with the company, to monitor the implementation of the business plan, and a round table, where the local authorities, who have been willing to lend a hand to find solutions that have no social impact, can submit their proposals and observations. “This is just the beginning,” Donghi concluded, “because, in fact, we also have to take account of the situation; given the market’s signs of recovery, there could be other positive results in a year’s time.”

On Monday, 9 November, the framework agreement will be presented to the employees, who will be able to have their say.