Non price-sensitive communications

Trieste, January 17, 2022 – Today, in the presence of Prof. Elena Bonetti, the Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono, the secretaries general of the FIM, FIOM and UILM trade unions Roberto Benaglia, Francesca Re David and Rocco Palombella, respectively, and the Minister signed the agreement for the creation of corporate nurseries to support parenting. The first nursery will be inaugurated in Trieste within the first months of the year in the headquarters of the company’s Merchant Ships Division and will be called “Fincantesimo”.

It will be followed by the nursery for the employees of the Monfalcone shipyard, located in the former “Albergo Operai” building, a symbol of Fincantieri’s historic bond with the local community. Works are scheduled to begin between the end of 2022 and early 2023. Implementation of the project will then continue with the gradual activation of the service at the other company sites.

Despite the pandemic, Fincantieri has hired more than 1,400 employees over the last three years. Most of these are young people, lowering the average age at the company. The company carried out an in-house survey in 2021 to verify interest in nurseries and received strongly positive feedback that led to development of the project.

The company will bear the cost of the service, except for a monthly fee paid by the parents of the children housed in the nursery, based on their ISEE (Equivalent Financial Situation Indicator) bracket. Fincantieri will assess alternative aids for those families finding themselves barred from the admission list, and, if requests for admission are lower than availability, the nurseries will be opened to the local communities to also include the children of employees of the supply chain companies.

Elena Bonetti, Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, commented: “Today’s signature between Fincantieri and FIM, FIOM and UILM is very reflective of the change of pace the country has decided to adopt by investing in the families, parenting and women’s work: a strategic and forward-looking agreement that aims at building company nurseries, contributing to educational services and monitoring goals to ensure their attainment. This choice goes precisely in the direction the government has outlined in these last few months with the investment in its National Recovery and Resilience Plan of 4.6 billion euros in nurseries and infant schools, the introduction in the Budget Law of the LEPs or “essential performance levels” for nurseries, and the 50 million euros fund for company projects supporting women returning to work after maternity leave. Harmonizing family life and work, assuming the co-responsibility for the education of the younger generations and fostering women’s work are crucial challenges for the future that need to be tackled together. Initiatives such as this one, which open shared paths to put the individual viewed as a whole back in the center, are important and make trusting and savoring the future tangible and credible. They are building them to make the whole country grow.”

Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, stated: “Our goal is to foster work-life balance by especially allowing women to be mothers in every moment. During the project definition, we reflected on the fact that women have at least three roles to play: mother, worker and organizer of the household. Thanks to this agreement we will support women in all their roles, giving them, as employees, equal opportunities as their male counterparts and, as mothers, the chance to be close to their children while at work. This might be a modest contribution but an important one nonetheless. Italy needs more children and our initiative wants to play a part in solving the low birth rate problem in a tangible and innovative way”.

Roberto Benaglia, Secretary General of FIM, said: “The agreement represents an initial high-quality result within a great Group, where we have good collaborative industrial relationships. It meets the new needs of working people and indirectly responds to Italy’s great need for pro-natal policies and services. This important result increasingly points to the central role of corporate welfare and services within collective bargaining. Signing the agreement at the Ministry of Equal Opportunities and Family in the presence of Minister Bonetti is an excellent sign that should translate into public support policies in this area, beginning with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The State cannot meet the increasing need to reconcile family life and work alone: our request is to provide incentives in the form of allowances and financing to support agreements such as this one and drive a rich season of company-level bargaining”.

Francesca Re David, Secretary General of FIOM, said: “Having an adequate number of nurseries is a fundamental right for children and an essential support to working parents, especially women who are penalized in the job market. The participation of businesses and the trade union, together with the local institutions, resumes that initial path that allowed increasing the number of nurseries in this country, respecting their quality, acknowledging the professionalism and rights of early year teachers, and maintaining a positive relationship with the local community. By signing the agreement, Fiom has recognized the value of Fincantieri’s decision to go ahead with the plan to gradually build nurseries in all its sites”.

Rocco Palombella, Secretary General of UILM, commented: “A concrete aid to families, making it easier to reconcile work and family life, and a strong message in the direction of equal opportunities and parenting support. This agreement is an important act that is part of the blueprint outlined in the national agreement for metalworkers and responds to our requests on the central role corporate welfare must play in contributing to making it easier for parents to manage their children during working hours and to enhancing the professionalism of workers. It is an excellent initiative resulting from the close collaboration over these past months with the company, a model for all Italian businesses and an essential tool for the future of work”.