http://lanazione.ilsole24ore.com/massa_carrara/2008/12/30/141671-cassa_integrazione_omya.shtml

LA CRISI ATTACCA LA MULTINAZIONALE
Cassa integrazione all'Omya per 28 operai su 69
La crisi economica colpisce anche l’Omya. La multinazionale produttrice di carbonato di calcio è costretta a rivedere il proprio organico dello stabilimento di Avenza e ricorrere alla cassa integrazione per parte dei dipendenti. Si parla di 28 lavoratori sui 69 di organico

Carrara, 30 dicembre 2008

Even the rich cry. The crisis has not spared even the giants. Even Omya, the multinational producer of calcium carbonate, is forced to review its staffing at the Avenza plant and resort to employee layoffs. Some say 28 of the 69 employees (60 in Avenza and 9 at the “granulator” at Piastra di Torano.
 
The reduction of work, the market crisis, the decline in orders and sales of products derived from calcium carbonate (toothpaste, paints, paper, varnishes), chockfull warehouses of the various companies that acquire materials directly from Omya, have led to a slowdown in the production of chips that actually has had serious repercussions for the local economy, already  burdened by severe employment problems with brands such as Eaton and Ica, to which could soon be added the Nca brand.
 
Thus some of the seventy Omya employees will be laid off for an indefinite period when the delicate situation will be communicated to the worker and trade union representatives. If the situation at the plant is not rosy, it is not much better further upstream where the heavy equipment trips, not just Omya’s but also of other companies that operate upstream linked to mining the chips, have suffered up to a 50% reduction.
 
So from about a thousand trips a day of trucks filled with marble and chips that had created no small amount of  problems with smog and dust in the city center, the month of November saw fewer than 500 [trips] and this drastic contraction involves mostly the chips, while the mining of the blocks does not appear to have suffered harsh repercussions.
 
If this has led to serious problems for employment and the local economy, that is certainly not sailing in calm waters, it creates further [problems] for the town government coffers where additional reduction in revenues is compounded by already heavy cuts in receipts from the Government. Thus 2009 is not beginning under the best auspices with an increasingly pervasive and uncontrollable crisis that could spread rapidly (literally like an oil slick) to other companies in our area. The workers representatives are puzzled because, though they can smell the smoke, they have received no official information from the company.