Whirlpool, the Naples plant passes to the government commissioner

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The Whirlpool plant in Naples passes to the extraordinary government commissioner for the Special Economic Zone (Zes) of the Campania region. It is the white multinational itself that communicates that it has formalized the sale of the via Argine plant to the Zes of the Campania Region. This brings an end to a story that has been dragging on for years and which saw a key passage in October, with the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Economic Development, the Prefect of Naples, the Municipality of Naples, the Commissioner of the Zes (Zona economic special), the Campania Region and trade unions in the context of the former Whirlpool dispute in Naples.

The protocol envisaged that the Municipality of Naples should maintain the industrial vocation of the area while the Commissioner of Zes Campania declared himself available, in the presence of the appropriate regulatory conditions, to acquire ownership of the via Argine site by 30 November 2022, in order to secure the plant with the commitment to transfer it at a later time to the subject who will take care of the reindustrialization with the constraint of absorbing all the workers and under the same economic and regulatory conditions as the company of origin.

The agreement – reads the note at the time – also provided for the Mise, Prefecture and Zes Commissioner to “accompany the project, also with the involvement of Invitalia, so that the recruitment times for the entire basin remain within the limits of the period covered by social shock absorbers”.

The transfer of full ownership of the Naples plant, located in via Argine 310, and the related appurtenances to the Extraordinary Government Commissioner for the Campania Region Special Economic Zone (ZES) now takes place at zero euro. Thus the deadlines indicated by the government during the last discussion table with the unions were respected. “According to the contents of the deed of sale, Zes Campania will use this acquisition for the purposes of the subsequent transfer – through a public tender – to one or more subjects and aimed at the future reindustrialization of the production area”, concludes the note from Whirlpool Corporation ” .