In December 1997, management and trade unions signed a major agreement on the reorganisation of Barilla - Italy's largest food group - and on investments and new jobs.
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In December 1997, management and trade unions signed a major agreement on the reorganisation of Barilla - Italy's largest food group - and on investments and new jobs.
The Barilla group - Italy's biggest food sector company - and the food sector trade union organisations, Fat-Cisl, Flai-Cgil and Uila-Uil, signed an important agreement on 18 December 1997 in Parma, on the reorganisation of the group's Italian plants. The agreement sets out a reorganisation plan for the factories, their productive specialisation, investments in equipment and technology, and initiatives for human resources management.
The social partners have defined the objectives for the reorganisation of the group as follows:
to develop the capacity for production destined for export;
to strengthen market-share in Italy;
to improve competitiveness through the specialisation of production in each plant; and
to retrain and mobilise staff through investment in advanced technology plant and equipment, at a cost of ITL 250 billion.
The agreement includes the following provisions:
ITL 165 billion will be invested at the Pedrignano plant (in Parma), which will specialise in egg-based pasta and tortellini. Those workers who previously worked in the production of cakes and snacks will be retrained with an adequate period of practical training, which will be achieved through use of public and European funding. A total of 90 workers will be employed in the plant at the end of the reorganisation process;
at the Novara plant, production will be limited to cakes and Mulino Bianco snacks. Investments will be accompanied by actions aimed at improving the efficiency and flexibility of work, both by adopting new forms of work organisation and by retraining personnel currently employed in cleaning and production activities; and
the production of biscuits will be concentrated at the Castiglione delle Stiviere plant (in the province of Mantova). Investments will be made and it is foreseen that 60 workers will be employed. Increased levels of productivity and labour flexibility will be negotiated at local level.
The agreement also contained the announcement of the opening of two new plants in the south of Italy - in Foggia for the production of pasta, and in Melfi (in the province of Potenza) for the production of snacks - and a new plant in the USA. The agreement did not specify the exact figures of investments for these new ventures.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1998), Reorganisation deal signed at Barilla group, article.
