IANS | 23 Feb, 2018
Italian Prime Minister Paolo
Gentiloni on Thursday voiced support for his Industry Minister Carlo
Calenda's "robust" challenge to Whirlpool unit Embraco's plan to shift
production to Slovakia with the loss of some 500 jobs in Italy.
Meanwhile,
representatives from Italy's UILM and FIOM unions on Thursday abandoned
talks with Whirlpool unit Embraco in the northwest city of Turin after
the company refused to reinstate nearly 500 sacked workers at its plant.
"Something
isn't working and Calenda is doing just the right thing by fighting
this case in such a robust way," Gentiloni said on Italian TV talk show
Porta Porta.
Calenda this week took up the Embraco case with the
European Commission see if Slovakia has breached European state aid
rules and if Rome can be allowed to intervene to save the Riva di Chieri
plant without breaching those same rules.
"EU structural funds
can't be used to get companies to set up in a country: that's unfair
competition and that is what we are checking with (competition)
commissioner (Margrethe) Vestager," Gentiloni said.
The US-owned
electrical appliances manufacturer last month announced its decision to
close its factory in Riva di Chieri, near Turin, with the loss of 497
jobs and to switch production to its plant in Slovakia.
Embraco
has refused requests by the Italian government and trade unions to
reverse its decision and re-instate the sacked workers at its Riva di
Chieri plant, prompting Calenda rule out further talks with the
company's management.
Italy's Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano is asking the Slovak government for explanations on Embraco's planned delocalisation.