Italy: an agreement by the Ministry of Economic Development on the future for the Thyssenkrupp factory at Terni ends one of the longest strikes in Italy’s union history

After 44 consecutive days of strike action, one of the longest in the history of Italian unionism, and after five months of talks marked by breakdowns and subsequent take-ups (c.f. article No. 8648 and article No. 8701) unions, the company and both local and national bodies finally came to an agreement on the AST industrial plan on December 3. The plan provides for the maintenance of production over the next four years, a reduction in the number of labor ‘surpluses’ from 550 to 290 via voluntary departures and the partial restoration of the company agreement that management had unilaterally denounced.
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The industrial plan. Valid from 2014 though 2018, the new plan provides for 140 million euros in new investment, minimum levels of cast steel production set at one million tonnes per year, a program to improve efficiency of both smelters (whereas the previous plan foresaw the stoppage of one of the smelters), and a strengthening of the commercial network to allow for production increases (if market conditions allow). The company commits to develop the National and Mediterranean markets and to s

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