Fincantieri extends production halt at all cruise ship, naval plants

Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri has decided to further extend the work stoppage at all its military and cruise vessel production plants and offices from 30 March until the date indicated in the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers adopted on 22 March.

Effective from 23 March, the governmental decree aims to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 health emergency in Italy. It contains a number of restrictive measures that would be applied until 3 April.

The extension comes after Fincantieri introduced in mid-March a two-week suspension of production activities at its Italian shipyards.

“This decision was made in consideration of the current COVID-19 situation, the need to continue contrasting the epidemiological phenomenon through stringent and incisive measures, and the dispositions set forth in the above-mentioned decree,” the shipbuilder explained.

To this end, Fincantieri and representatives of the Italian trade unions FIM, FIOM and UILM signed an agreement to guarantee continuity in production at the end of the stoppage.

Moreover, given the need to extend the production halt, the agreement redefines the type of economic compensation applied from 16 to 29 March 2020. Additionally, the agreement sets forth that, upon resuming the production activity, there will be no annual summer stoppage.

Fincantieri is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, specializing in cruise ship design and construction and a reference player in all high-tech shipbuilding industry sectors, from naval to offshore vessels. The company has over 8,900 employees in Italy and a supplier network that employs nearly 50,000 people.

Italy has been one of the hardest-hit countries amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with more than 8,000 fatalities and more than 80,000 COVID-19 cases reported so far.