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Embraco factory closure postponed

The closure of the Embraco factory in Riva di Chieri has been postponed for eight months

ITALY: Workers at the threatened Embraco refrigeration compressor factory in Riva di Chieri have received a postponement of redundancy until the end of the year.

After meetings with the workers’ unions, it has been announced that factory will now remain open until the end of November, guaranteeing full salary to the employees until the end of 2018. The factory was due to close at the end of this month, with production being transferred to Embraco’s compressor factory in Slovakia.

The announcement of the closure of the former Aspera factory in Riva di Chieri, near Turin, with the loss of 497 jobs, has been met with strong opposition. Amongst widespread protests, workers blocked roads in the Piedmont region and staged a protest at Italy’s annual Sanremo music festival.

The closure has become a major political issue in Italy in the run up to the country’s general election. On Wednesday, a delegation of Embraco workers visited the European Parliament in Brussels to meet Italian MEPs and the president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani.

A planned strike organised by the metalworkers union to denounce what it sees as the crisis in the industries in the province of Turin goes ahed on March 13.

Related stories:

Embraco workers take fight to Brussels – 27 February 2018
ITALY: A delegation of workers from Embraco will meet MEPs in Brussels tomorrow (Wednesday), as the closure of the Turin refrigeration compressor factory becomes a major election issue in Italy. Read more…

Embraco to close Italian factory – 16 January 2018
ITALY: Embraco has confirmed the closure of its Italian refrigeration compressor factory. Read more…

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