Electrolux pauses Italy layoff plan for 50 days after government talks

The multinational appliance maker Electrolux has agreed to suspend the implementation of its restructuring plan that foresees roughly 1,700 redundancies and plant closures in Italy for a period of 50 days. The pause was announced during a meeting at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Mimit), where the company, the government and trade unions opened a new round of negotiations on a shared industrial plan.

Italian ministers Luca Ciriani and Adolfo Urso criticised the original plan as unacceptable and urged the company not to act unilaterally. Trade unions Fim, Fiom and Uilm welcomed the suspension as a first step, while the Lombardy regional authority emphasized the goal of preserving jobs, especially at the Solaro plant where more than 200 positions were at risk. The parties will now work on a revised proposal that aims to maintain production capacity and protect employment.