American global information technology company Unisys has downsized its Italian business. The company's EMEA employment counsel Alan O'Rourke worked with Italian law firm LABLAW on the transaction which involved seven locations in Italy and around 100 workers, both employees and executives, out of a total workforce of 330. Employment and industrial relations specialist law firm LABLAW partners Luca Failla  Elisabetta Cassaneti and Sharon Reilly advised Unisys on the restructuring.

Complex union negotiations

At the end of complex and prolonged union negotiations, which included the variation of contractual terms (as immediately prior to opening the procedure the company had decided to no longer apply the national collective bargaining agreement for dirigenti in the manufacturing sector), the parties signed binding agreements at the Ministry of Employment in Rome. These were two separate and distinct  union agreements:  one for employees and the other for executives (who were represented by Federmanager/Aldai) The dual outcome was a reduction in the workforce and implementing the putting in place of a solidarity contract across the board, which saved some jobs.

Collective agreement

This multifaceted transaction was managed and implemented by LABLAW working directly with the US parent company and the legal department. Within the context of the restructuring exercise, the company was successful in renegotiating contractual conditions such as the travel indemnity provided for by the NCBA and other benefits. The collective agreement reached with the unions contained other cost saving measures such as salary roll back. The locations involved were Rome, Milan, Genoa, Florence, Padua, Turin and Bologna.