Whirlpool layoff plan 'unacceptable'

(ANSA) - Ancona, May 22 - Labor Minister Giuliano Poletti said Friday that Whirlpool's plan lay off 2,060 at its Italy plants is "unacceptable". "We commit ourselves to the full and to the last breath to obtaining a change in Whirlpool's industrial plan," the minister pledged. Poletti said Wednesday the international household appliance manufacturer must file a new business plan in line with agreements made during its takeover of Italy's Indesit appliance maker last July. "These (agreements) must be respected," he said.
    Unions had warned the Whirlpool takeover would lead to massive layoffs.
    The deal signed at the time of the takeover by UILM, FIM and UGL unions as well as Italian local and central government was aimed at avoiding 1,425 layoffs at Indesit and ensuring 83 million euros' worth of investments.
    Whirlpool said last month that it plans to invest 500 million euros in Italian operations over four years.
    But UILM warned Wednesday Whirlpool plans to lay off 2,060 of its 6,700 Italy workforce.
    The bulk of the job losses are set to come on the factory floor, with several hundred administrative and R&D positions also being cut.
    Unionized workers earlier this month blocked a major highway between Rome and Naples to protest the proposed job cuts.