The Italian government will not allow workers at US-owned Embraco's electrical appliances factory near Turin to be given part-time jobs, industrial development minister Carlo Calenda vowed on Friday.
"We are working on this. No part-time jobs and no reductions in unemployment benefit are acceptable," Calenda tweeted.
"This is clear," the tweet continued.
Calenda was answering a question from a Twitter user on what could happen to workers at Embraco's factory at Riva di Chieri if a new employer takes over the plant, which is facing closure with the loss of some 500 jobs.
Calenda on Wednesday said the Italian government was open to offers to redevelop the Riva di Chieri site and would present to unions the proposals received so far when he meets them on Friday - the same day unions were due to stage protests in Turin over the plant's planned closure.
A subsidiary of US white goods giant Whirlpool, Embraco said in January it would close its Riva di Chieri factory, which makes refrigerators and washing machines, fire 497 out of 537 workers there and shift production to Slovakia.
After Embraco refused to reinstate the sacked Riva di Chieri workers, Calenda raised the case with the European Commission in February to see if Slovakia has breached European Union state aid rules and if Rome can intervene to save the plant without breaching those same rules.
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