Whirlpool: workers in the square in Rome, procession begins

Whirlpool workers are holding an eight-hour strike and national demonstration in Rome, called by the metalworkers' unions Fiom-Cgil, Fim-Cisl, and Uilm-Uil. The march is preparing to depart from Piazza della Repubblica and head to the Ministry of Economic Development, where a crisis meeting is underway. The protest stems from the company's decision to begin the process of selling its Naples plant, which employs 410 people and produces washing machines, to PRS (Passive Refrigeration Solutions), a company headquartered in Lugano. This act "is in open violation of the October 2018 agreement," the unions reiterate, calling on the company to withdraw the process and reconvene to start over from last October's agreement, which called for "investments, not divestments." Today's strike is the second eight-hour strike in two weeks (workers already walked out on September 25th at all Whirlpool plants in Italy). Around 500 workers are arriving from Naples and Caserta, with at least another 500 from the group's other plants, according to the unions. Taking part in the march are the general secretaries of Fiom, Fim, and Uilm, Francesca Re David, Marco Bentivogli, and Rocco Palombella. The head of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, is expected.