Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Manufacturer and provider of IT services IBM announced the dismissal of 244 workers across most its Italian sites.
The management attributed the decision to a prolonged decline in the sale of transactional digital services in Italy and the need to adapt to the new competencies required to compete in the markets of cloud services, analitycs, mobile, social and data security. It also announced that some low added value functions will be delocalised in countries with cheaper labour cost. Job cuts will target 60 top managers and 184 among middle managers and clerks, including sale agents, programmers and system developers, project managers and customer support operators.
Unions are taking part in negotiations and remarked the company has been severely cutting its staff in Italy over the last two years (see IBM Italia-2016, IBMIT-2014).
Update, 02/02/2017: Negotiations have been concluded and the number of previously announced dismissals has been reviewed downwards. The dismissal of 54 top managers and 184 middle managers and clerks will be achieved either by means of incentivised voluntary dismissals or compulsory early retirement.
The company also underwrote not to proceed with further dismissals beyond 2017 and to provide training to align the skills of the workforce with the new production needs.
Eurofound (2016), IBM, Internal restructuring in Italy, factsheet number 90821, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/90821.
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