The dream of Ferrania Solis, the solar panel factory, disappears

The layoffs of the last 34 workers took place after two years of layoffs. Unfortunately many will not be able to be relocated despite the Fast regional project

Already in liquidation since 2017, the redundancies of the last 34 workers in the workforce were triggered at the end of two years of extraordinary redundancy at zero hours, motivated by the cessation of the activity. The drama of the workers, however, is further accentuated because, after having participated in training courses and the Fast project (initiated by the Region for paths aimed at relocation), the places destined for the province of Savona are already sold out, they are not enough for everyone and the questions cannot be moved to Genoa. The result is that not all of Ferrania's "exiles" have a chance of future relocation.

«We tried to ask for an opinion to the Ministry of Labour to assess whether it was possible to extend the redundancy fund – explains Corrado Calvanico for Cisl – The outcome was negative. Sorry because, in the era of environmentalization, it closes a factory that could have had a sustainable development. Now we hope that the Fast project can be refinanced so as to offer an outlet to all workers: we are talking about people with a contributory seniority of over thirty years, and highly specialized workers ".

Trouble for Solis had already started in 2015, when the company had requested the dismissal of 49 of the then 65 workers. Dense trade union negotiations had temporarily saved the situation thanks to a long journey made of layoffs and solidarity contracts.

In 2017, however, Solis had been placed in liquidation and, due to a debt not honored with Invitalia (the National Agency for Investment and Business Development of the Ministry of the Economy), it had also dragged the parent company Technologies into the abyss. To give oxygen to the workers, CGIL, CISL and UIL had still managed to snatch a year off, linking the Solis dispute to the complex crisis area and the Savonese program agreement. The plan aimed to relocate employees precisely in the new realities that were supposed to settle thanks to incentives. The hands of the clock were faster than the new industrialization and the epilogue arrived. The workers still have a monthly unemployment allowance, but there are no monthly payments to the appeal.

"Production premium and arrears will be paid as soon as the payslips will be ready – explains the company liquidator, Giovanni Marciani -, probably by the end of the month and with the funds, 150/200 thousand euros, already recovered from the sale of Solis small equipment. The liquidation activity continues with the aim of selling production lines and premises ". Even if it is now fading, the hope of a revival is still alive: entrepreneurs working in Central Africa have knocked on Solis' door, but until now the negotiations have been slow to take off.