Gucci, the famous Italian fashion brand, is facing a worker strike because of a decision that employees believe is like a group firing. The company, which is now owned by Kering, a French firm, has over 20,000 employees worldwide. Even though it’s owned by the French, Gucci is very much an Italian company, with its main office in Florence and other offices in Milan and Rome, and almost all of its manufacturing done in Italy.
The issue started when Gucci decided to move 153 out of 219 employees from its office in Rome to Milan. This upset the workers, who say they weren’t given enough time or support to deal with this move, including adjustments to their salaries for the higher cost of living in Milan.
Workers claim they had to leave their families and homes without good alternatives. A representative from the workers’ union thinks this is a way of firing a lot of people at once, and they’ve tried talking to Gucci’s HR but haven’t received any response.
The workers have apparently been anxious for months as they have been seeing real-estate agents and potential buyers visiting their Rome offices. When their fears were confirmed after the summer holidays, they were forced to opt for relocation since no alternatives were provided in Rome. Some of them who have lived in the city all their lives and even bought their own houses there are finding this uprooting of their lives quite disturbing and challenging.
