Italy: Cooperative farm Cepal in crisis, workers and granting partners at risk
The cooperative farm Cepal di Lugo (Ravenna, Italy) is in a severe liquidity crisis and if producer partners do not find the right aggregation or credit lines, they will run the risk of not being paid for the products conferred in 2011. In the meanwhile, workers went on strike last Thursday 29th March 2012 in front of the gates of the plant in Lugo, showing a quite ominous obituary: "closed: death in family 1926-2012".
According to the trade unions Fai, Flai and Uila: "There might be mobility for 19 workers who have a permanent contract and imminent interruption of fruit processing that leads to stop the occasional workers from working. These kind of workers have no safety valves but farming pension on the basis of working days."
The cooperative has been rooted in the Romagna land since 1926. Since then it has been working in the Ravenna territory, by means of a net of granting partners, and has been carrying out fruit process: apples, pears, kiwi, apricots and peaches to launch them both on the Italian and foreign market. The Cepal was a leading brand both in Italy and Europe, above all Switzerland, Belgium, France and England.
The trade unions Fai, Flai and Uila are concerned about the employment future of Cepal workers. For 15 months the trade unions have been asking the cooperative president and his external adviser to make a development plan and an industrial and recovery plan that take into account the 200 workers – 90% of whom are women – who work everyday in the storehouses.
Unfortunately, there are no positive answers, the only thing they did – which was not expected - was closing down the plant in Conselice. Workers moved to the plant in Lugo and it is making them feel uncomfortable.
An employee in the fruit and vegetable said to FreshPlaza: "A lot of import companies still look at the situation incredulously. Cepal was an independent cooperative, famous in Romagna. Its MB included farmers, labourers, tenants and independent farmers. They set aside their political ideologies to distribute income to South Romagna."
At the beginning of 2000, Cepal had a concession of 35,000 tons of products, a turnover of over €14,000,000 and it worked in three centres. "It is incredible how this sad moment could arrive since all the partners were perfectly aware of their responsibilities."
It seems that an aggregation with a cooperative in the same area may give a way to the producers, who are still waiting for a little liquidity to carry on.
The trade unions Fai, Flai and Uila insist on asking about the Management’s decisions. They wish there could be a debate to reach constructive actions. They also asked the regional, provincial and municipal public administration to find a solution to avoid the loss of such a historical cooperative.
"Fruit and vegetable crisis on a global scale and a fall in national consumption are the basis of the current problems in the sector" the trade unions say. Emilia-Romagna, leading area for its complete chain and product quality, from the field to consumer, with its storehouses and the product process since ever, is suffering severe damage to farmers and workers’ disadvantage.
Source: www.lugonotizie.it / Il Resto del Carlino