Workers' participation in difficulty at Electrolux-Zanussi

In mid-July 1997, a clash between management at Italy's Electrolux-Zanussi and part of the Fiom-Cgil trade union was threatening the company's exemplary model of workers' participation.

In mid-July 1997, the system of workers' participation was at crisis point in the Electrolux-Zanussi group. Negotiations broke down between trade unions and the company management board over maintaining the agreements which - through joint committees at both factory and group level - had enabled the creation of one of the most advanced models of participation in Europe (IT9706206F).

In short, the participation agreement ran aground faced with the hostility of several workers' representatives, as well as a part of the Fiom-Cgil metalworkers' union. This hostility was based on both practical grounds - a strong defence of the prerogatives of workers' delegations in companies (Rsu s) from interference by joint bodies - and theoretical motives - an "ideological" hostility to participation as such.

Faced with this constant opposition, the company cancelled the participation agreement, seeking to renegotiate it. In particular, management requested the inclusion of a mechanism of sanctions for the Rsu in the agreement, which would make the Rsu responsible for dealing with repeated violations of the rules on participation. There was clear opposition on this point by Fiom, which managed to prevail over the other two confederal metalworkers' trade unions, Fim-Cisl and Uilm-Uil, which were more open to discussion. In response to the request for concrete sanctions (such as reducing the number of hours of trade union leave), Fiom was willing to accept, at the most, symbolic sanctions. The company hardened its line in response to this request and Fim and Uilm, which were in favour of an agreement, were unable to mediate between the two opposing positions.

With the possibility of renegotiating the participation agreement having apparently disappeared (though the prospect of doing so in the future has not been abandoned), the factory joint committees and the group joint bodies have been closed at Zanussi, and the company has turned back to a traditional system, centred on the contract of employment and labour legislation. This is a disconcerting step back, as it clashes with the trend which has so far been developing, even if it has been problematic and full of contradictions, and which until now saw Zanussi in the front line of innovation. There are also symptoms of crisis and pre-announcements of reorganisation in the Zanussi group, a crisis that would have been much easier, for trade unions as well as for the company, to face in a participatory climate, rather than one of conflict.

"Speaking on our behalf, we can reconfirm the importance we put on reaching an agreement with Zanussi", said Pierpaolo Baretta, secretary general of Fim-Cisl, demonstrating hopes of overcoming the breakdown in industrial relations. However, Mr Baretta went on to say (in a declaration to the Cisl newspaper, Conquiste del Lavoro) that "an organic system of participation is needed, which involves the entire industrial system," as is "legislation to help bring economic democracy in line with the best experiences at European level".