Hydro closes Feltre, workers on permanent garrison

With these changes, Hydro will have 28 extrusion plants, five recycling plants within the Extrusion Europe business unit, and a total workforce of around 7,000 employees. "This was not an easy decision, but it is necessary to adapt our industrial presence and production capacity to the current market situation. Despite the proposed changes, we will continue to have a strong presence in the European markets and are determined to serve our customers with dedication and a high level of service," says Erik Fossum, senior vice president of Hydro Extrusion Europe.

The company also confirms 'its full commitment to the European extrusion market, which is a strategic and central area for the company's long-term development. The announced proposals will have no impact on our commitments or service levels to customers. Should the closure decision be confirmed, customers currently served by the affected plants will be supplied from other Hydro locations, ensuring production continuity and service quality."

The mobilisation, which was decided during the meetings with the first shift workers, was immediate. The Rsu and the trade unions have proclaimed 48 hours of strike on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 November. The abstention from work will cover the entire working day for all shifts.

"The announced closure of the Feltre plant is a very serious matter that we consider totally unacceptable,' say Stefano Bona of Fiom CGIL Belluno and Mauro Zuglian of Fim Belluno Treviso. 'This decision represents a direct attack on the future of the workers, their families, and the entire economic and social fabric of our territory. We cannot and we do not want to passively accept that years of professionalism, sacrifice and production will be cancelled with a simple stroke of a pen for logics that do not take into account the human and social value of the company. The company must know from the outset that we will not give up. We will take every necessary action to safeguard all jobs and to guarantee the continuity of production at the Feltre site'.

The employees had gone on strike and organised a garrison last Friday to protest against the company's decision to terminate, without prior notice, 20 administration contracts. A decision that had immediately alarmed the trade unions, interpreted as a possible sign of a deeper crisis and not as a simple temporary drop in orders, as claimed by the company. A fear unfortunately confirmed by the recent decisions of Hydro's board of directors. For Wednesday, 3 December at 9.30 a.m., a joint review meeting of the trade unions with the company management is scheduled at the Confindustria headquarters in Feltre. "At that meeting," emphasise Bona and Zuglian, "we will demand clarity on the reasons for this wicked choice and ask for the immediate opening of a discussion table to identify alternative solutions to the closure.