Italpizza, an Italian frozen pizza giant, has acquired Antico Forno a Legna. Good news, perhaps, for the staff of the acquired enterprise. That averted the risk of layoffs and redundancies in the face of the difficulties faced by the Old Bakery. But the buyer, in turn, surges workers’ rights, albeit within the law, even more than pizzas. The indigestible Made in Italy.
The famous frozen pizza manufacturer has a turnover of 127 million euros, with a market spanning 55 countries. It boasts quality certifications and collects awards, such as the Brand Awards 2019 as‘best FMCG brand‘. (1) It even has a ‘code of ethics,’ except then tramples on the natural rights of workers. In general public and private indifference. Even from those-such as large-scale retail chains in Italy and abroad-which in turn boast of sustainable procurement. POL POP(Profit Over Labor, Profit Over People).
Italpizza, workers on domestic helpers’ contract
More than 800 people work at the 20,000-square-meter Italpizza plant in San Donnino, Modena. But only 120 of them-who work in administration, maintenance and quality control-have labor contracts consistent with the industry sector and the tasks they perform. The workers who knead and roll out the dough-mostly women, of non-Italian nationality-are employees of two cooperatives, framed under the Multiservice contract. Housekeeping. This saves on labor costs by disapplying the national feeders’ contract. (2)
Italpizza’s code of ethics clashes with this unequal treatment of workers. And it is clear how such a document – also referred to on the company website – has the sole function of reassuring large customers, under the banner of greenwashing. A cosmetic statement to mask inequitable personnel management. We read:
‘Value of Human Resources. Italpizza considers human resources to be the company’s main asset and success factor and is committed to ensuring the conditions for each person to find in the work environment a place of serenity, harmony, identification, cooperation and professional development.
Personnel management criteria. Personnel selection is carried out on the basis of matching the profiles of skills, abilities and characteristics required for the position and those of the candidates encountered in the selection process in compliance with company policies and in full compliance with equal opportunity regulations.’
Italpizza, the game of contracting out to cooperatives
The game of contracting out to cooperatives has been going on for years. Flai CGIL had reported this to the Ministry of Labor on 9.12.16. With the only result being the imposition of a not insignificant fine of 700 thousand euros. But this was not enough to induce any change in the inequitable management of labor relations. The system of contracting out to cooperatives, according to some, is a widespread practice in the food sector as well as in others with high demand for labor.
‘Italpizza represents the most scientific evolution of this contracting system: starting in 2008, false cooperatives in the name of nominees were used throughout the sector, which in essence allowed them to evade mainly VAT and IRAP. Then with the passage of time and complaints from labor unions and the financial police, the procurement system became legal, thanks in part to regulatory reforms such as the Jobs act. But the underlying problems of labor exploitation and tax evasion that this system enables have not been solved‘, Umberto Franciosi, a trade unionist with Flai-Cigl in Modena, explains to Internazionale.(3)
The revolt and the agreement, partial, with the unions
In November 2018, the workers’ protest began, supported by the union Si Cobas. A tough battle, with pickets in front of the plant to prevent the passage of goods, police intervention. And the continued pressure seems to have convinced the Modena-based giant to come to terms.
In late July 2019, the confederal unions (in which Cobas do not participate) signed a framework agreement. A (deferred) solution was found only for the 589 workers of one of the two cooperatives involved, Evologica. Who will receive progressive salary increases, in 2020 and 2021, with a commitment to employment in Italpizza in 2022. For the 245 workers of the second cooperative (Cofamo), however, the confrontation remains open.
With the revolt at home, however, in April 2019 Italpizza initiated the acquisition of another frozen pizza manufacturer. An operator in crisis, Antico Forno a Legna in Mortara (Pavia). And immediately there were fears of a repeat of the ‘Multiservice’ system, cooperatives and domestic helper contracts. ‘Italpizza, from what our colleagues in Pavia tell us, before proceeding with the acquisition of the Antico Forno, which is currently in a critical economic condition, reportedly asked for a union agreement to define contractual applications that were to be the same as those present on Modena, that is, not to apply the labor contract for food industry employees. This would seem to be the precondition for saving jobs; real blackmail!‘, warned the CGIL. (4)
With things done, the ending seems less rough. In early August, Italpizza acquired the competitor. But this time without outsourcing production to cooperatives. Thanks to the vigilance of the unions, the 65 workers will keep their jobs under the same conditions that already applied. (5) In the Modena plant, however, production will continue by competing unfairly with those who work without the shortcut of contracting out to cooperatives.
The large-scale retail trade-the Modenese ‘taker’s’ primary customer-is perhaps the only force capable of demanding social sustainability from its supplier of frozen pizzas, which are often sold under the very retail brand. Unfair treatment of female workers, #NotInOurNames. Where the Ministry of Labor, which already inexcusably tolerates the worker abuses perpetrated by Amazon, does not go, it is only a healthy industry like the retail sector in Italy that can restore order and social justice.
POL POP, never again!
Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) SEE https://italpizza.com/index.php/it/news/view/ec9a0c644v/
(2) Massimo Franchi, Italpizza women win. But they don’t vote for the agreement, the manifesto, 8/17/19 https://ilmanifesto.it/le-donne-di-italpizza-vincono-ma-non-votano-laccordo/
(3) Annalisa Camilli, The battle won by Italpizza’s immigrant women, International, 1.8.19 https://www.internazionale.it/reportage/annalisa-camilli/2019/08/01/italpizza-modena-appalti
(4) SEE http://www.er.cgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/2826
(5) Italpizza acquired the lease rights to the business unit of the frozen pizza production plant ‘Antico forno a legna’. The transaction was finalized through Italforno srl, a new-co controlled by Dreamfood srl, the Modena-based holding company that also controls Italpizza. The agreement provides for takeover as early as September for the duration of 24 months. Italforno has already made a binding offer for the eventual purchase of the business, which may take place even before the lease expires. V. Journal of Modena https://gazzettadimodena.gelocal.it/modena/cronaca/2019/08/08/news/italpizza-acquisisce-in-affitto-un-azienda-concorrente-pavese-1.37328646
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
