Following temporary layoffs last month affecting 100 craftspeople, Mondomarine reached agreement with the workers’ unions late last week to pay some wages. The figure is less than what the unions sought, and more than what the shipyard offered. The financial challenges for Mondomarine, however, continue.
The unions news comes via reports by La Stampa newspaper and RSVN.it, an online newspaper in Savona, Italy, where Mondomarine has a facility. (It also owns the Cantieri di Pisa shipyard in Pisa.) Both news outlets state that Mondomarine signed an agreement with two trade unions on April 22. Under it, the affected workers will receive eight weeks’ worth of wages. Furthermore, holidays will be deferred.
We contacted Mondomarine for confirmation of the agreement and additional commentary. A spokesperson did not address the agreement. However, she provided the following statement: “Mondomarine is going through a temporary financial strain. The ownership is already considering several solutions which provide a significant capital injection into the company for solving this situation.”
The developments with the unions follow actions taken in mid-March. At that time, Mondomarine filed layoff proceedings affecting 70 craftspeople in Savona and 30 in Pisa. On March 17, while the trade unions met with the yard management, workers in Savona went on strike. According to La Stampa, the yard management therefore offered them four weeks of pay. This was less than the initially expected 13 weeks’ worth of wages. The larger amount stems from a national unemployment benefit provided in case of temporary suspension or reduction of activity. It becomes effective when a company is restructuring, reorganizing, reconverting, or facing a crisis.
“We are not opposed in toto to the need for layoffs,” Lorenzo Ferraro, the provincial secretary for one of the trade unions, told La Stampa following the strike. “But we must have guarantees on the continuation of productive activity.”
Mondomarine’s current ownership team took over in 2013. That’s when it purchased the Savona shipyard, which dates back to 1915. (The original name was Cantieri Navali Campanella.) It invested in the location’s infrastructure, to streamline operations. The owners planned to add new-build projects to 262 feet (80 meters) LOA, too. The Pisa shipyard, previously known as Cantieri di Pisa, came into the fold in 2014. That site focuses on motoryachts to 131 feet (40 meters).
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