Kering, unions in turmoil over plan but company talks of constant dialogue

The reorganisation of the Kering group does not meet with the approval of the trade unions, Filctem CGIL, Femca Cisl and Uiltec Uil, who have proclaimed a day of strike for 20 May in all companies, with a demonstration in Florence and other territories. The trade unions complain about the management's unwillingness to discuss the reorganisation plan of the whole group called 'ReconKering' and the announcement of 54 redundancies at Alexander McQueen for which the company does not intend to activate any kind of social shock absorber.

A note issued in the evening by the company, however, explains that Kering 'has always maintained a constructive dialogue with trade union representatives'. Not only that. Kering pointed out that 'the group's strategy continues to be shared with employee representatives during periodic meetings, according to a defined and long-communicated calendar. The next meeting is scheduled for the beginning of June'. As for the 54 redundancies announced at McQueen, according to the company's version they were 'already communicated a few months ago, McQueen is going through a collective staff reduction procedure concerning the brand's activities in Italia. This difficult decision is consistent with the evolution of the maison's operating model and the strategic review of its global activities, aimed at restoring the business to sustainable profitability in the coming years, while laying the foundations for its long-term development'.

The trade unions demand 'the immediate withdrawal of the redundancies, the protection of all jobs through the use of social shock absorbers, and the search for alternative solutions to the redundancies, considered today a 'negligible variable' by the Group. Above all, however, we think trade union relations should be relaunched, reopening a channel with the trade union representatives, to explain to us, finally, what the 'ReconKering' relaunch plan consists of and how we intend to avoid making the workers pay for it. The approach that is being outlined on Alexander McQueen is unacceptable, and would create an uncomfortable precedent in the management of employment issues that deserve the search for shared solutions'.