Conad-Auchan supermarket strike, there are 11 thousand workers groping in the dark

Since October, hundreds of branded stores have started to pass through Auchan is Sma under the control of Conad, a mammoth operation that involves more 18 thousand workers and that it is doing a lot of discussion precisely because of the various uncertain notes that are characterizing it. There are more at stake 300 shops but, at the moment, the fate of most of these is not clear, as is the employment future of those who work there.

Conad-Auchan, let's clarify the numbers

To better understand the situation and to know the state of the dispute in detail, we asked how things are Vincenzo Dell'Orefice, national secretary of the Fisascat Cisl, which is dealing in the first person with the case: '' The operation involved the whole Auchan Italia group, made up of three companies: Auchan Spa, Sma Spa and Sgd Spa. The overall numbers speak of 259 points of sale with smaller formats and 46 hypermarkets, a total of 306 stores for about 18 thousand employees ''.

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'' Of these, 33 have already been purchased by another group, Arena, and these are the smaller formats located in Sicily. Therefore – clarifies Dell'Orefice – in reality the transition from Auchan to Conad involves 226 supermarkets (smaller formats) and 46 hypermarkets, for a total of 272 points of sale spread throughout the Italian territory ''.

Conad-Auchan, the reasons for the break with the unions

But what are the shadows on this case? What are the reasons that led the unions to call one strike in front of the Put scheduled for Wednesday 30 October? The secretary Fisascat Dell'Orefice explained to us when the "crash" occurred: "In recent months the companies Auchan Spa, Sma Spa is sgd Spa they have initiated the transfer procedure for the first 109 stores in their network which, between October 2019 and March 2020, will have to be controlled by the various companies set up by small entrepreneurs, which are part of the Conad system. Why did the comparison stop? Because there were no guarantees given against the modality organizational''.

'' We have verified – continues the secretary Fisascat – that even in previous cases, such as the acquisition by Conad of a 'slice' of the former Standa network, which took place a few years ago, the transition from a branch company to a company composed of small operators, it has often been questioned for organizational reasons, thus causing friction between employees and companies ".

Auchan-Conad, because there are over 11 thousand workers in the balance

As anticipated at the beginning of the article, out of 18 thousand employees, there would be 11,350 whose employment future is still in the balance. A fact that has alarmed the unions: "On the 18 thousand total workers, Conad has given us certainty only for 5,700 employees – continues Orefice – practically those who are part of the top 109 stores that are already changing the sign at this moment. But the others remain 163 shops he 11,350 employees, for which we have not yet received any guarantee ''. To worry even more about the trade unions are also the characteristics of the shops left in limbo: "The 109 sales points for which the transfer procedure has already begun are those that are economically more efficient – explains the secretary Fisascat – but the risk in leaving in doubt the 163 judged as less attractive, is to create a pool of loss-making shops with thousands of redundancies ''.

Auchan-Conad, the transition from large-scale distribution to organized distribution

In light of the numbers on shops and people involved, it is obvious that we are facing an operation giant, never seen before, which will have a great repercussion on the whole sector, as it will pass from what we know as great distribution, to a different defined mode distribution associated or organized, ie in which several small entrepreneurs get together to form a single consortium, which in this case is Conad.

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"The passage under the control of small retailers – explains Dell'Orefice – could also have other repercussions: we could find ourselves in front of companies with less than 50 employees, so for example the redundancy payment cannot be requested, or even under the 15 employees, cases in which the statute of workers is not applied. Moreover, with the transition to the employment of a small entrepreneur, it is not certain that the latter can confirm the job to all employees of the office ".

Auchan-Conad, what the unions are asking for

What worries the unions is obviously the fate of thousands of workers and their families, which is why at the Mise meeting the union representatives will ask for concrete answers: "We want them to take responsibility for the employment recovery, if for the 5,700 workers from the top 109 stores received guarantees, for the other 163 stores (and over 11,000 employees) we grope in absolute darkness – he explains to Today Vincenzo Dell'Orefice – Among other things, there is one Premise to do: when the entrepreneurial parties involved in the transfer of the controlling shares of Auchan reached an agreement, in presenting to us the conditions of the agreement they told us that the operation would be completed by 1 October 2019, but after a little more one month after the agreement, Conad expressed his concern about the involutionary course of the situation, so much so as to demand an acceleration in timing, taking de facto control from August 1, two months in advance ". '' Yet – he concludes – Conad has never specifically declined his plan industrial that guarantees for all the workers involved. Our greatest fear is that this whole operation turns into a massif plan of evacuation''.

Waiting for news from the Mise table to arrive on the case, Vincenzo Dell'Orefice, national secretary of the Fisascat Cisl office, thinks about the workers: '' In the employees of the 163 stores still in limbo there is a risk profile and it remains to be clarified how the company wants to provide. There is obviously one of the workers discomfort is concern, also because it expects a ruling by the Antitrust, which could also cancel the passage of some points of sale if it were to consider parts of the network not overlapping with the Conad system ''.

'' In the event that the answers that we expect do not arrive – the trade unionist concludes – the reaction would be dictated by the exasperation. I hope that they come to us with a detailed and respectful plan for the future, with the will to open a confrontation on occupational protection and that they give us the time to understand if there are other interested parties ". A solution in which more than 11 thousand workers trust.