Almaviva to shed nearly 3,000 employees

(ANSA) - Palermo, March 21 - The mass lay-off of 2,988 Almaviva contact centre employees was formalised on Monday, the union representing workers in the telecommunications sector Uilcom has said.
    Of the redundancies, 1,670 are in Palermo, 918 in Rome and 400 in Naples. The lay-offs account for 6% of staff currently employed by the group in seven countries. Almaviva explained the lay-offs by a direct margin that is well below target as a result of the delocalization of lowest-bid tenders and inadequate regulations governing telcom outsourcing, Uilcom said.
    Almaviva employees in Palermo are to strike on Tuesday, with a demonstration in Piazza Indipendenza.
    They are calling on the Sicily regional government to "take an active role" in the labour dispute.