The acquisition of the Cercom plant in Filo di Argenta by an Egyptian group, Omega Ceramic, a large company in the sector with 6 plants in its country, is currently being finalized.
The new company created for this operation is called “Santa Maria srl” and, according to the industrial plan presented to the trade unions, will lead to the resumption of production at the plant in a short time.
We have therefore reached the conclusion of a situation in which the only way out was the sale by Cir Serenissima, a group from Reggio Emilia with two other production plants, Rubiera and Roteglia, now more than sufficient to meet the sales volumes required by the market today, after the sharp decline that has also hit the ceramic tile sector.
Cercom's production stoppage began in January of last year and these 16 months have seen only one "attempt" to restart the activity last September, when it seemed that another company was interested in the acquisition, but then it came to nothing. The almost eighty workers have therefore completed a year of ordinary redundancy pay "almost" with zero hours and these last months covered with extraordinary redundancy pay, resulting in a strong loss of wages but above all a strong concern for maintaining their employment.
The negative part of this acquisition is that the new company will start with 70 workers compared to a current staff of 77. Cir Serenissima has proposed to the "surplus" the continuation of the work activity with a transfer to the Reggio Emilia plants. Some have accepted while others have preferred the placement in mobility, especially those close to retirement.
Now the resumption of activity is finally beginning and “Santa Maria” has also already “anticipated” that there is the will for the future to make investments to strengthen the plant.
As a Union we express satisfaction for the success of the operation, a result obtained thanks to the will of Cir Serenissima to leave no way untried; a thank you above all to the workers, who, "patiently", without shouting dissent with respect to what they have experienced, have shown to those who have been interested in the acquisition, that at Filo there is a desire to work with the professionalism that has always distinguished them.
