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October 17, 2019 The procession of Whirlpool workers, organized after the company's announcement of the plant's closure on November 1st, started. The procession, started from piazza Municipio and directed to Palazzo Santa Lucia, seat of the Campania Region, is opened by the Rsu Whirlpool Napoli banner.

At Palazzo Santa Lucia they will not find the President of the Campania Region, Vincenzo De Luca, out for other commitments, but they will still be received, also in light of the proposal to create favorable conditions to continue the productive activity advanced by the Region, ready to invest up to 20 million. "We are ready for anything - say the workers who have already demonstrated occupying the A3 motorway in recent days - the Region is doing its part, the Government must do it too. Whirlpool is everyone's heritage, it cannot end such an important story" .

And in the government there is great concern about what is happening in the Neapolitan plant. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte - during an interview with Corriere della Sera - says: "Whirlpool is one of the most critical situations. We have always wanted to encourage an agreement in the exclusive interest of the workers, but we are realistic and to date the proposed plan from the company does not satisfy us ".

Also critical of the government is the mayor of Naples, Luigi De Magistris, who attacks: "The government should also make itself heard because Di Maio has marched us a bit in the electoral campaign for the Europeans, reassuring the workers. The government is more important or a multinational? There are tools to make it clear that if they behave this way they have closed with Italy. " And announces that in the event of closure: "we will make a collective production center of washing machines all Italian".

The establishment of the multinational that has been producing washing machines for decades is currently stopped. On 31 May the state of agitation began and the garrison after the announcement by the company to proceed with a sale of a business unit.

The protest of #Whirlpool workers of #Napoli in the Umberto I gallery. In the morning the meeting in the Region after the announcement of the closure of the site in November #industria #crisi @RaiNews pic.twitter.com/3u1gchKS4y

- Alessandro Marchetti (@aless_marchetti) 17 October 2019

Prs possible buyer proposed by Whirlpool
The possible buyer proposed by Whirlpool is Prs (Passive Refrigeration Solutions), a Swiss company that owns an innovative patent for container refrigeration. The solution, however, leaves many doubts open. No coincidence that the opponents are numerous. Prs was born seven years ago as a "start-up in which they have invested international funds". But it does not appear, however, that it currently produces anything. This fact, of course, raises several concerns.

There is a strong doubt that the washing machine factory in Naples is the same as the Termini Imerese plant: the buyer who collects the government incentives and then disappears. The critical points with Prs would be even greater given that for the moment it is an empty box.

Rodolphe Schmid, president of the Swiss company in an interview with the Corriere del Mezzogiorno, used reassuring tones. Explaining how the idea to buy the Naples plant was born: "In 2018 we learned about the situation of Whirlpool in Campania and we got in touch with the US property. A few months ago we signed a preliminary agreement, but still we have not signed any purchase, also because after the problems and tensions that are taking place in Naples with the workers and the unions we must think well before taking an important step like that of the acquisition of a factory ". In any case, the new owner undertakes to reabsorb 300 employees out of 420.