18 June, 2015Workers based at an Italian operation of multinational steel piping manufacturer, Tenaris, have voted by a 76 per cent majority in favour of a new agreement reached by IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates Fim-Cisl, Fiom-Cgil and Uilm-Uil.
The deal with Tenaris Dalmine was approved in a ballot that took place on 11 and 12 June.
According to the agreement, the earlier announced 406 redundancies will be reduced to 301. The lower number has been obtained through the use of solidarity contracts, which allow workers to keep their jobs but with decreased working hours. One of the main cornerstones of the negotiations was about the destiny of 120 apprentices. Through the negotiated agreement they will now receive confirmation of their employment. Previously the company had announced their temporary contracts would not be renewed.
Out of 301 layoffs, 261 will take place at the Dalmine facility, while 40 other job losses will be carried out in the outlying worksites. Solidarity contracts will be used for 12 to 24 months and a voluntary mobility option with accompanying support up to the age of retirement will be offered to all workers who agree to access the scheme before 2020.
The union delegation, headed by Emanuele Fantini (Fim-Cisl), Eugenio Borella, (Fiom-Cgil) and Angelo Nozza (Uilm), considered the resulting agreement as positive although not all of the workers’ demands have been accepted.
Among its achievements, the union leaders cited the decrease in the total number of redundancies and confirmation of employment of apprentices, proving the company’s preparedness to invest in human resources. The option of voluntary retirement and agreement on solidarity contracts was also positively assessed.