Sirti: plans for 430 redundancies, and the trade unions take the case to the Ministry of Economic Development
A further 190 agency workers are set to leave when their contracts expire. A quarter of the workforce has been affected
The end of the PNRR boost is taking its toll on the telecoms sector. In this case, it is Sirti Telco Infrastructures – the Sirti Group company specialising in the design, construction and maintenance of telecommunications networks – that is bearing the brunt. For this Pillarstone subsidiary, this means 430 redundancies and a further 190 agency workers set to leave when their contracts expire. In total, 620 people: almost a quarter of the workforce. The impact of the slowdown in construction projects is thus being felt by one of the companies that builds and maintains Italy’s telecommunications networks.
These are the figures released yesterday by the company to Fim, Fiom and Uilm, during a meeting that had been planned some time ago and previewed by Il Sole 24 Ore on 23 October. The company is reported to have stated its intention to initiate a collective redundancy procedure in the middle of the month. This is underpinned by an expected decline in 2027 turnover of over 200 million euros, with the focus on the conclusion of activities linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
The redundancies affect the entire organisation: around 135 field staff, 45 logistics staff, 50 in support functions and 195 in the operational control chain. We will have to wait for the letter initiating the procedure to find out the geographical breakdown. For agency workers, however, departures will take place in line with the expiry of their contracts.
The trade unions are now up in arms and will try to halt the process before it gets underway. A four-hour strike has been scheduled for Monday 16 November, whilst a request to refer the matter to the Ministry of Economic Development (MIMIT) was submitted as early as yesterday. On the table is a request for a business plan for Sirti Telco – 43 million in EBITDA in 2025 (out of a consolidated total of almost 61 million in EBITDA) against a turnover of around 730 million (out of a consolidated total of almost 980 million) – and a discussion on the future of Sirti Digital. All this whilst calling on the Ministry to address the sector’s structural issues, including lowest-bid tenders and client policies deemed to pay little attention to the sustainability of the supply chain.
