Ericsson annuncia 131 licenziamenti a Genova

Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications company, has initiated a collective layoff procedure affecting 131 employees in Genoa. The company informed its workforce through a letter, as confirmed by Sonia Montaldo, the General Secretary of SLC Cgil Genova. Montaldo explained that the letter containing the collective layoff procedure arrived yesterday.

The layoffs involve two departments - one dedicated to research and development in optical technology and another part of a research and development department, both focusing on advanced network technologies and infrastructure. The Bnew division, according to the company, will see its entire personnel of 110 affected, with an additional 21 from the Bcss organization.

Montaldo stated that the decision to lay off stems from the ongoing decline of the Italian telecommunications market, which continues to face particularly challenging dynamics. The company's decision to close the research and development department is also a blow to Genoa, home to the Erzelli technological park project, which was meant to be a technological innovation hub.

Ericsson, involved in computer science and new technologies related to communication devices, has decided to close the research and development department, Montaldo emphasized. The procedure, involving 56 employees, 64 managers, and 11 executives, is seen as a disaster for the company, losing its core production process, and a defeat for the technological city's development in Genoa.

Montaldo calls on politicians and institutions to tackle the issue in a cohesive and unified manner, as the loss affects not only the workers but also one of the city's most important technological presidiums. A company-wide assembly will be held on Monday, September 14, from 9:30 to 11:30 am. "One hundred and thirty-one layoffs in Genoa are unacceptable," the statement reads.

Politicians including Sen. Lorenzo Basso, Deputy of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Rep. Alberto Pandolfo, and Valentina Ghio, Vice-president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, have announced the submission of two parliamentary inquiries, both to the Senate and the Chamber, following the start of the layoff procedure.