MILAN — On Thursday, unions Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl, Uiltec Uil inked an agreement with Kering Group at Italy’s Ministry of Labor that will avoid unilateral layoffs at Alexander McQueen.
“Thanks to the determination of the workers and the unions’ initiative to hold a strike on May 20, it has been possible to change in a significant way the initial stance of [the brand’s parent] Kering Group, which included a unilateral management of the layoffs,” stated the unions.
As per the agreement reached, employees could potentially be offered severance incentives and layoffs are being postponed until September.
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McQueen’s employees voted unanimously in favor of the agreement, said the unions. This development “is not a given, it stops the immediate impact of the layoffs and returns negotiations to being central.”
As reported, Kering has said it “has always been committed to maintaining a sound and constructive social dialogue with its unions’ representatives,” fully committing to high-quality production in Italy.
The unions urged Kering to turn to “collective and non-traumatic tools, starting from social safety nets, to avoid that employees pay the cost of reorganization.” Accordingly, continued the unions, from now until September, “it will be fundamental to carefully monitor potential departures; maintain a high level of attention in the workplace, and build the conditions for a shared application of the ReconKering plan.”
ReconKering is the strategic roadmap presented by Kering chief executive officer Luca de Meo in April during a Capital Markets Day in Florence, aimed at promoting clearer priorities, better accountability and faster decision-making.
It was articulated around three phases: completing a structural reset by the end of 2026, entering a rebuild phase of sustainable growth by the end of 2028, and reclaiming the group’s “leadership as the reference player in Next Luxury” by the end of 2030.
Last February, de Meo said he had no choice but to cut deep and fast, as McQueen has incurred heavy losses by opening 135 stores worldwide and allowing itself to become excessively reliant on sneaker sales, which at one point represented 80 percent of its revenues.
The strike, the unions concluded, has shown that “the unity of workers is fundamental to obtain results.”
The participation of Kering Group employees in the strike on May 20 in Scandicci, Tuscany, reached more than 1,000 people, according to the unions.
At the same time, hundreds of Kering employees also protested in Novara, in the Piedmont Italian region, and in Parabiago, a half-hour drive from Milan. All three towns are home to McQueen sites, plants and offices.
Out of McQueen’s 181 employees, the layoffs were expected to total 54, of which 38 would have been in Novara.
A new development at the brand was reported this week, as Kering named Gianfranco D’Attis the new CEO of McQueen, succeeding Gianfilippo Testa.
D’Attis, most recently the CEO of Prada, will be based in London and report to de Meo.