FedEx responded
To:
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
In Milan, July 19th, 2021
Thank you contacting us and giving us the opportunity to respond to the information you have shared.
FedEx fully respects the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, as well as the legitimate right to protest, and we strongly condemn all forms of violence. We fully respect the right of workers to take part in industrial actions in a safe environment. The safety, health and security of our team members, business partners and their employees, as well as the communities we serve, is also our priority.
In March this year, we announced the redesign of our domestic network in Italy, a project that involves the in-sourcing of handling activities in 7 of our Hub, leading to the employment of up to 800 handlers before the end of this year.
As part of this process, our Group also decided to discontinue its operations in one Hub, which was deemed no longer fit to serve company needs, which lead to the closure of the site/warehouse and the termination of the contract with the vendor providing handling serviced therein, and the events described in the articles you mention are associated with the protests connected with the discontinuance of such Hub. Whilst we are not involved in the ongoing negotiations between the supplier who used to serve said Hub and the unions representing its employees, we are sensitive to this situation and supporting the vendor in finding solutions to mitigate, to the extent feasible, possible impacts on its employees.
Besides Italy, FedEx operates a large and diverse business around Europe. Part of that involves ongoing, regular dialogue with union and works council representatives on a range of issues that matter to our employees. We fully respect these processes wherever we operate in Europe.
Kind regards
