Electrolux Withdraws Unilateral Layoffs in Italy and Proposes Up to 1,250 Incentivised Voluntary Exits

Electrolux has withdrawn its unilateral redundancies in Italy and proposed incentives for the voluntary departure of 1,250 people, 600 white-collar workers and 650 blue-collar workers, over three years. The new plan was presented on 5 October 2026 at the national table chaired by Industry Minister Adolfo Urso, in a dispute that began with the announcement of over 1,700 redundancies and is still open (translated). In short, the company is prepared to manage the cut through furlough schemes and voluntary exit programs rather than compulsory redundancies, unions said, but the workforce is still set to shrink, with the transition managed through the extraordinary redundancy fund, the Cassa Integrazione Guadagni Straordinaria, or CIGS.

For Metaintro readers, the useful part is what this means at the factory gate, covering who counts in the 1,250, what CIGS pays and for how long, and which questions about the incentives are still unanswered.

What Did Electrolux Put on the Table in Rome?

The proposal went to the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy table at Palazzo Piacentini, in front of the company, the unions, Confindustria and the regions and towns that host the group's plants. Electrolux set out no plant closed, a reindustrialisation path for the Cerreto d'Esi site, the withdrawal of unilateral layoffs, an incentive plan for voluntary exits over three years, the use of social safety nets and a new investment proposal as the new elements, the ministry said (translated).

The investment is €90 million, earmarked to support the new products. The product list includes BI-range fridges for Switzerland, premium-range gas hobs, more Steam Crisp and pyrolytic ovens, 12 kg washing machines and the Professional range, top-of-the-range washer-dryers only, and dishwashers produced exclusively for Europe.

Electrolux declined to comment on the plan when asked. Unions said the reduction would be managed through furlough schemes and voluntary exit programs over a three-year period rather than through compulsory redundancies.

A new phase is finally beginning. What we've accomplished today is a step in the right direction, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said after the talks, according to the Reuters report on Euronext.

How Is the 1,250 Figure Made Up, and Why Do Unions Count 1,385?

The 1,250 exits split into 600 white-collar workers and 650 blue-collar workers, spread over 36 months, a period FIM CISL's Massimiliano Nobis also cited after the meeting (translated). The proposal is for incentivised and voluntary exits for a maximum of 1,250 people over three years (translated), so the figure is a maximum.

The UILM union gives a higher total. Its leaders say the number still stands at 1,385, because they add the 135 fixed-term workers whose contracts are set to expire to the 1,250. They also point to the 90 whose contracts have already expired and the 80 who have since left of their own accord, and those earlier departures are separate from the positions still covered by the new proposal (translated).

The 135 fixed-term workers whose contracts would be left to expire are counted by UIL and UILM on top of the 1,250 exits (translated).

How Have the Job Cut Numbers Changed Since Spring?

The surplus first set in spring was 1,719, later reduced to 1,450, the figure behind the September strike call, and the new figure is another 200 lower than the previous plan (translated). The FIM CISL union in Romagna counts the 1,719 layoffs initially planned nationally as withdrawn.

FIM CISL's national leaders describe a shift from unilateral measures and summary redundancies to a process founded on dialogue, voluntary incentives and the search for a shared agreement.

FIM CISL's national leaders say the first plan envisaged a reduction in production volumes to below three million units, and UILM says the revised plan brings projected total annual production to 3.1 million household appliances.

What Is CIGS, and What Would It Pay Electrolux Workers?

CIGS, the Cassa Integrazione Guadagni Straordinaria, is a social safety net granted by the Ministry of Labour and paid by INPS that replaces or tops up the pay of workers who are suspended or on reduced hours (translated). It covers firms in crisis, firms going through reorganisation, including for occupational transition, and firms with solidarity contracts.

The payment is 80% of the pay the worker would have earned for the hours not worked, between zero hours and the contractual limit. It is capped, and from 1 January 2026 the monthly ceiling is €1,423.69 gross and €1,340.56 net of the 5.84% deduction, and any extra monthly instalments are counted inside the 12 monthly amounts rather than paid on top. The payment is normally advanced by the employer, with INPS paying workers directly, as the Ministry of Labour indicates, when inspectors confirm the company is in proven financial difficulty.

For a reorganisation, the maximum length is 24 months, even continuous, within a rolling five-year period, for each production unit (translated). FIOM CGIL is also asking for new tools such as development contracts, support for reduced working hours and training.

The law also allows a transition agreement that lets employers with more than 15 staff request up to 12 more months of CIGS, not further extendable, after a crisis or reorganisation period, with retraining and re-employment actions set in a union agreement, and workers covered by it can join the GOL employability programme. The plan names the extraordinary redundancy fund, but whether a transition agreement or other tools will follow is not set out.

Who Qualifies for CIGS, and What Are the Rules While You Are on It?

CIGS covers employees with at least 30 days of actual work at the production unit on the date the application is filed (translated). Apprentices on any type of contract and home workers are included, and managers are excluded.

There are rules for anyone who takes other work while on the scheme. A worker who does other employed or self-employed work has no right to the payment for the days worked, and loses the right altogether if they do not tell their INPS office in advance that the other work has started, although mandatory notices the new employer files in advance also count (translated). Courts have held that other work only reduces the payment in proportion to what it earns, but the advance notice rule still applies.

Employers, not workers, apply to the Ministry of Labour through the CIGSonline web procedure, and the scheme applies to employers not covered by bilateral solidarity funds that employed on average more than 15 staff in the previous six months. The grant is made by Ministry of Labour decree (translated).

How Would an Incentivised Exit Work, and What Is Still Missing?

Unions describe the exits as sign-ups based on the principle of non-opposition, alongside cassa integrazione (translated), and how this works in practice is still to be negotiated. UILM's Gianluca Ficco said the unions were awaiting a detailed plan, including information on incentives for workers leaving under the voluntary programme.

So far, no individual amounts, eligibility rules, deadlines to sign up or criteria by seniority and role have been published (translated). The €90 million is industrial investment and should not be read as a fund to be shared among departing staff (translated).

When written terms appear, these are the points to check, drawn from the questions set out by Nordest24.

• The gross and net amount, kept separate from the other end-of-employment sums.
• When it is paid, and the actual date the job ends.
• How to sign up, with any limits and the criteria for accepting applications.
• The effect on income continuity and on your pension record.

The FIOM union in Treviso wants exits that are exclusively voluntary and incentivised, with new hires replacing those who leave (translated).

What Happens to the Cerreto d'Esi Plant and Its Workers?

The Cerreto d'Esi factory in the province of Ancona has 170 workers at risk of losing their jobs, and most of them are aged between 45 and 50. On the day of the talks, workers held an eight-hour strike and a sit-in outside the factory.

The ministry lists no plant closed and a reindustrialisation path for the site (translated). UIL and UILM say the company confirms its decision to close and call its offer to help a new industrial activity generic (translated). FIM CISL Romagna says the closure first planned for 31 December has been revised, with a dedicated table opened for reindustrialisation (translated), and unions said Electrolux is open to seeking a buyer for the kitchen hood plant, while keeping production running until a potential sale.

The plan is reported to include a reindustrialisation and staff retraining project for the site. With the adviser Vertus, Electrolux has started a feasibility study and will set up a working group with local authorities and the social partners, and outplacement schemes will also be offered. Unions have denounced the transfer of production from Cerreto to Poland.

What Changes for Susegana, Porcia and Forlì?

No new split of the 1,250 exits by plant has been given yet (translated).

• Susegana (Treviso). The previous plan put over 420 positions in surplus among blue-collar and white-collar staff (translated), and FIOM wants binding guarantees on production, jobs and skills.
• Porcia (Pordenone). The last public figure was 463 surplus jobs, cited by the Region at the 23 September meeting under the national plan of 1,450, so it is not yet possible to say how far the revision lowers it.
• Forlì. The first proposal meant closing the hob line and almost 400 surplus jobs, and the company now plans to strengthen premium gas hobs and expand Steam Crisp and pyrolytic ovens there (translated).

Workers in Forlì held eight hours of strike action and a picket at the gates on the day of the talks, and at Susegana, where FIOM had called eight hours of strike action, the gates were picketed and production stopped (translated). The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region puts its appliance supply chain at 1,245 firms and 12,555 workers, not only Electrolux suppliers.

It is essential to guarantee continuity of employment and production during the reorganisation and reindustrialisation phase, FIOM CGIL leaders Michele De Palma and Barbara Tibaldi said in a joint statement (translated), according to the Il Sole 24 Ore report.

What Happens Next in the Talks?

A technical meeting is set for 8 October and a plenary meeting for 29 October. FIM CISL's Massimiliano Nobis expects site-by-site talks to start from 8 October (translated).

The ministry calls the 29 October table conclusive and decisive, given that the group's global reorganisation is expected in the first part of November (translated). Urso also said the government is ready to support the plan with all available tools, including extraordinary measures, through the forthcoming Budget Bill.

The ministry places the dispute inside the government's wider effort in Europe to strengthen the appliance sector (translated). European Commission Vice President Stéphane Séjourné confirmed in writing his readiness to act on a non-paper promoted by Italy and backed by Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Slovakia, the ministry said (translated). The company's plan also calls for a joint commitment to put appliances on the European agenda through a review of the CBAM and energy costs.

What This Means for Electrolux Workers and Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this is a real improvement in method, but not yet a settled number. Unions said the plan relies on furlough schemes and voluntary exit programs rather than compulsory redundancies, and the exits on offer are incentivised and voluntary (translated). The workforce is still set to shrink, and UILM's count of 1,385 is the figure to keep in mind if you are on a temporary contract.

Here is what we would do in your place.

• Do not sign anything yet. The incentive terms have not been published, and the next plenary is on 29 October.
• Know your CIGS position. Check that you have at least 30 days of actual work at your unit, and if CIGS is granted for your unit, it pays 80% of pay for hours not worked, up to the monthly cap.
• Tell INPS before you take side work. Missing the advance notice rule can cost you the payment.
• Ask your union about retraining. FIOM CGIL is pushing for training and support for reduced working hours, and for Cerreto staff outplacement schemes will also be offered.
• Start a search in parallel. If you are weighing an exit, start the search before you sign, using how to job search with AI after a layoff alongside the union's advice.

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People Also Asked

Q: Is Electrolux laying off workers in Italy?

A: Electrolux has withdrawn its unilateral redundancies and proposed incentivised voluntary exits for 1,250 people over three years, with the transition managed through the extraordinary redundancy fund.

Q: How many Electrolux jobs are affected in Italy?

A: The proposal covers up to 600 white-collar staff and 650 blue-collar workers, and UILM puts the total at 1,385 once 135 expiring fixed-term contracts are added.

Q: How much does CIGS pay?

A: CIGS pays 80% of the pay a worker would have earned for the hours not worked, up to a monthly cap, for up to 24 months per production unit in a rolling five-year period for a reorganisation, and a transition agreement can add up to 12 more months.

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