Italian furniture manufacturer Natuzzi remains at an impasse with trade unions after failing to reach an agreement on a government-backed protocol intended to guide the company's restructuring and industrial recovery.
The latest breakdown came on June 24 during talks at Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). Despite months of negotiations and significant revisions to the proposed protocol, unions declined to sign the agreement, arguing that it still failed to provide sufficient guarantees on investment, employment and the future of Natuzzi’s Italian manufacturing operations.
The dispute stems from Natuzzi’s 2026-2028 industrial plan, unveiled late in 2025, which includes the closure of the Jesce 2 facility, the sale of other sites, voluntary exits for hundreds of employees nearing retirement and wider workforce reductions. Trade unions estimate the plan could ultimately affect hundreds of jobs and have consistently opposed any measures they believe would reduce Italian production or accelerate offshoring.
Earlier negotiations also failed to produce agreement, with unions maintaining that the company’s proposals lacked adequate employment safeguards and stronger commitments to domestic investment, while Natuzzi argued that restructuring was essential to restore the group’s long-term financial sustainability.
Following the collapse of the June protocol, Natuzzi confirmed it would proceed with its restructuring plan through Italy’s negotiated business crisis procedure, stating that further delays would jeopardise the company’s recovery. The company said most union amendments had been incorporated into the draft agreement but expressed regret that a final compromise could not be reached.
Trade unions have insisted that the failure to sign the protocol does not end negotiations and say they will continue discussions with the government, regional authorities and Natuzzi in pursuit of a revised industrial plan that protects jobs, investment and the future of Italy’s upholstered furniture manufacturing sector.
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