According to the unions, the strike by employees of the luxury fashion group Kering was met with great participation. As they announced, the participation of employees in the strikes in the companies of the group brands – including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Ginori 1735, Brioni and Kering itself – was between 70 and 100 percent, said the unions Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl and Uiltec Uil on Wednesday.
The demonstration in Scandicci near Florence, which was attended by hundreds of employees and delegates, was also well attended. Representatives of the national secretariats of Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl and Uiltec Uil spoke in front of the Kering Italia headquarters in Tuscany.
In their statement, the unions said the full square showed that Kering’s behavior was perceived as unacceptable. The reason for the strike was the layoffs at Alexander McQueen and the company’s refusal to negotiate with the unions about solutions to redistributing the workforce or social benefits. They also criticized the fact that CEO Luca de Meo was not prepared to share the group’s reorganization plan with the social partners and investors.
The previous day, Kering management had stated: “McQueen is currently undergoing a collective downsizing process that affects the brand’s activities in Italy. This difficult decision was made earlier and independently of the ‘ReconKering’ group plan presented in Florence last April. Unfortunately, the decision could no longer be postponed and is in line with the fashion house’s new operating model as well as the strategic review of its global activities. The aim is to make the business sustainably profitable again in the coming years.”
Regarding the group’s strategy, the company led by Luca de Meo further explained that Kering has always strived to have a constructive dialogue with the union representatives. The group strategy will continue to be explained in regular meetings with employee representatives. The next meeting is planned for the beginning of June.
However, the unions rejected this representation. “What happened at McQueen does not indicate a serious commitment by the company,” the statement said. Kering is now announcing scheduled talks with the unions and is – hopefully unconsciously – confusing the European works councils with the trade union organizations. The European Works Councils are not negotiating bodies, while this is precisely the task of the trade unions.
Finally, Filctem, Femca and Uiltec stated: “For us, today is just the beginning of a tough confrontation. We defend the workers who made ‘Made in Italy’ great and enriched the brands. We protect the districts that historically represent the best quality in the world in this sector.”
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