Back to work at IRIS

Recent events may have felt like a bad dream to Iris workers who yesterday saw the gates of the three factories in Sassuolo, Fiorano and Viano reopen.

The breakthrough came on 16 January during negotiations between the owners, trade unions and public institutions, leading to a formal undertaking on the part of chairman Romano Minozzi (represented by Giuseppe Pifferi) not to close down the company activities and to draw up a medium to long-term business plan.

The decision to return to production came from the 500 workers who during the meeting held last Friday in the Astoria hotel in Fiorano clearly expressed their support for the company. The kiln, raw materials and plant operators went back to work yesterday and will be followed by many of the 780 employees within a couple of days.

This is a sign of hope for the workers and many small businesses making up the industry, although the future remains unclear with uncertainties in particular surrounding the new industrial restructuring plan.