40 employees of Conad in Palermo’s Conca d’Oro center fired

Last Updated: May 11, 2024

Palermo, licenziati 40 dipendenti del Conad del centro Conca d'Oro

Collective redundancy in sight at the Conad supermarket in the Conca d’Oro shopping center in Palermo. The announcement was made to the unions by Abbate Ipermercati srl, which manages the store. The company has communicated the dismissal of 40 workers out of the 127 employed, all with permanent contracts, due to “staff surplus”. A reduction that is necessary, Abbate Ipermercati writes to the unions, due to the unsustainability of costs.

“We will oppose the collective redundancy procedure, and we will follow it according to the legal provisions, in order to safeguard all levels of employment. We are ready to immediately involve the institutions – declare the general secretary of Filcams Cgil Palermo Giuseppe Aiello and the provincial secretary Alessia Gatto. It would be a serious blow for these workers, who have a median age close to 50, with families to support: this means that they will be difficult to relocate and most likely destined for a poor future.”

Abbate took over the management of the hypermarket in via Lanza di Scalea less than a year ago, in June 2023, after a business rental operation from the Auchan-Conad group. The store has undergone several restructuring and recovery interventions over the years. In September 2020, the transfer of the branch of the original “Auchan” hypermarket from Margherita Distribuzione spa to Italica Retail and then to Pianeta Cospea (both part of the Conad network), with the aim of relaunching the activity of the store, which was in a crisis situation under the previous Auchan management.

“A hard blow, yet another one, for workers who have not had peace for years,” explains Stefano Spitalieri, general secretary of Fisascat Cisl Palermo-Trapani. These are workers who originally came from Auchan stores, then moved to Margherita Distribuzione, Pianeta Cospea, and finally to Abbate. “We are already requesting a joint examination from the company. Our rejection of dismissals is firm. A solution must be found that allows the maintenance of all levels of employment. Otherwise, we will initiate any necessary protest initiatives,” concludes Spitalieri.