The multinational company Wartsila has announced that it will be shutting down production at its Trieste plant. The repercussions on employment are dramatic: 451 redundancies are expected out of a total of 973 workers.
A press release issued by the company has announced that Wärtsilä plans to reduce production in Trieste, Italy, and centralize four-stroke engine production in Europe in Vaasa, Finland.
Wartsila President and CEO Hakan Agnevall said that with its new Europran manufacturing footprint, Wartsila is taking the next step to strengthen its competitiveness and create a structure enabled for future growth. He stressed that “Italy and Trieste will continue to be very important for Wartsila in many areas as we aim to be part of shaping the decarbonisation of marine and energy industries.”
Friuli Venezia Giulia Governor Fedriga was shocked by the news. “We learn with disdain and incedulity the news of the closure of the production part of Wartsila at the Bagnoli della Rosandra plant,” he commented.
According to Mr. Fedriga, what had been put in place was a behaviour and a choice that was inacceptable in its methods and ways, above all because for over a year now not only the Fruili Venezia Region, but also the national government, had received ample reassurances from the company’s top management and Finnish diplomatic and governmental institutions. He asked for the announced relocation to be withdrawn straight away.
Translation by Giles Foster