While the newspaper La Stampa was on strike and La Repubblica in permanent assembly, the undersecretary to the Prime Minister intervened Alberto Barachini to convene the company and subsequently the unions and, in two meetings scheduled for tomorrow, to clarify the issue of the hypothesis of transfer which has alarmed the political and institutional forces. The issue that raises (almost) bipartisan concern is the hypothesis of the sale of the publishing activities belonging to Exor through Gedi to Antennauno, owned by the Greek shipowner Theo Kyriakou.
For PD secretary Elly Schlein “the information circulating on the sale of the Gedi group is alarming”, so much so that she does not hide her concern for the risks “of weakening or even dismantling a fundamental safeguard of democracy”. And the opposition, together with Avs-Pd-M5s, demands that the government report on the sale.
Solidarity for journalists also from the President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa who proposes himself as an intermediary: ”I believe that your concerns are justified and that the properties have the right to change, give up, sell but they do not have the right to impose unambiguous lines of conduct on the editorial staff. I not only understand your concerns but I am at your disposal, also as an intermediary so that you can be satisfied with the answers you are waiting for regarding your concerns”.
The Minister for Public Administration Paolo Zangrillo underlines that “La Stampa and La Repubblica are a historical heritage of information and culture of our country”. In his opinion “The press must continue to have transparent and solid properties, capable of still guaranteeing that freedom of information which is historically one of the cornerstones of our Republic. For this reason I consider it necessary that, in the event of a change of ownership, an industrial plan and consequent employment guarantees are illustrated”.
And solidarity expands from politics to the territory and professional bodies. The National Council of the Order of Journalists says that ”it will stand alongside its colleagues and all the workers of the Gedi group for a just battle in defense of the dignity of work and the autonomy of the profession”. Meanwhile, awaiting tomorrow’s meeting with Undersecretary Barachini, the president of the PD senators, Francesco Boccia, is proposing a solution to the government: “Faced with what is happening in the editorial offices of Repubblica and Stampa, the Italian government cannot remain silent and still.
Palazzo Chigi must take an immediate initiative in the face of what appears to be a real disposal of a heritage of Italian democracy. For the protection of strategic assets and capital of national interest, the Golden Power is often evoked. Used by this Government for much less.”
In the meantime, the undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, Alessandro Morelli, senator of the League, while guaranteeing the careful monitoring of the evolution of the situation in the awareness of the strategic role that information plays for the country, notes that “the negotiation on the sale of the former Espresso Group is an opportunity to be seized to finally open a season of greater pluralism and competition but it can also be the signal of the definitive move of the Elkanns from Italy with all the consequences of the case”. And according to the leader of Action Carlo Calenda the matter will not end here: “After the ’27 elections the (semi-empty) Stellantis factories will also close”.
In the evening the note from the editorial committee of Repubblica. “The Cdr of Repubblica has proclaimed a strike for Friday 12 December to protect our identity and the perimeter of workers of the newspaper in the face of the announced sale of Repubblica and the entire Gedi group by the publisher. The site will not be updated from 7am tomorrow to 7am on Saturday 13th”.
Repubblica on strike Friday 12 December
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“The Cdr of Repubblica has proclaimed a strike for Friday 12 December to protect our identity and the perimeter of workers of the newspaper in the face of the announced sale of Repubblica and the entire Gedi group by the publisher. The site will not be updated from 7am tomorrow to 7am on Saturday 13th”. This is what we read in a note from the newspaper’s editorial committee.
CGIL, yet another escape of the Elkann from Turin and Piedmont
“The sale of the Gedi group, a business branch of Exor (the Agnelli family’s financial company) clearly represents the industrial policy that the Elkanns have been implementing for some time: abandoning Turin and Piedmont”. This is the comment of the general secretaries of CGIL Piemonte and CGIL Torino, Giorgio Airaudo and Federico Bellono.
“We are close to the journalists, the workers of all the editorial offices of the Gedi group – they say – for yet another fire sale carried out by Exor. Politics and institutions must demand guarantees from ownership, because at stake is not only a possible employment crisis, but the right to free information.” For Airaudo and Bellono “La Stampa, la Repubblica, la Sentinella del Canavese, historic newspapers that chronicle the Turin area, represent a heritage to be protected and not to be sold to the highest bidder. Journalists deserve answers, reassurances on employment levels and on the possibility of continuing to carry out their work freely: that of informing citizens”.
Avs-Pd-M5s, the government reports on the sale of the Gedi group
“Let at least Minister Urso come to the Chamber for information, this silence towards the escape of his friend Elkann is intolerable”. This was asked in the Chamber by the vice-president of AVS in the Chamber, Marco Grimaldi, who underlined “the seriousness of the choices of the Gedi group in the negotiation with the Greek Antenna group of the shipowner Theo Kyriakou for the sale of Repubblica, the radios, and the digital activities. La Stampa, apparently, is not of interest to the Greeks but could go to NEM, Enrico Marchi’s publishing house. Opening the door to the Greek group means committing oneself to a completely uncertain future: uncertain for the editorial line of the newspapers, uncertain for the maintenance of the staff. The journalists have entered into a state of permanent assembly, our solidarity goes to them, they have been treated like disposable goods. We are faced with yet another Italian sell-out plan chosen by an entrepreneur who knows how to do one thing well: take the dividends and run away. We are waiting for Minister Urso to understand the industrial plan and the safeguards for employment”.
“Our group also joins in the request for urgent information to the government on the sale of the Gedi group. It is a matter that has been going on for months in complete opacity”, echoed the dem Federico Fornaro. Who reiterated “the PD’s closeness to journalists”, whose history and professionalism “deserves respect”. Chiara Appendino of the M5s also asked for information from the executive: “Solidarity with the community of the group which is experiencing a difficult moment. We ask for transparency, we are worried”.
Order of journalists, solidarity and closeness to the workers of the Gedi group
”The National Council of the Order of Journalists expresses solidarity and closeness to the workers of the Gedi group, the subject of a further humiliating sell-off which creates dismay and deep concern for the ongoing dismantling of fundamental voices in the defense of critical thinking and democracy in the country”. The ODG writes this in a note. ”The National Council of the Order of Journalists will stand alongside its colleagues and all the workers of the Gedi group for a just battle in defense of the dignity of work and the autonomy of the profession. Solidarity with our colleagues from La Stampa who are not on newsstands today following the painful decision, taken at the end of a long meeting which, as written in the CDR press release, “concludes a dramatic day for the history of our newspaper”.
And solidarity with the colleagues of Repubblica who proclaimed a state of agitation, in the face of the sell-out to a foreign group which has not presented any relaunch plan nor offers certainties in terms of employment and the identity profile of the newspaper”, the Order further writes. “After the publisher had announced in recent days its intention to sell all the group’s activities, after long months of negotiations always denied by the company, “the editorial committee – we read again in the press release – in the late afternoon of Wednesday 10 December met with the president of the Gedi group Paolo Ceretti, the managing director Gabriele Comuzzo, the managing director of Gnn Corrado Corradi and the personnel manager Alessandro Bianco for the first official discussion on the topic. The outcome was disconcerting, disheartening and humiliating for the editorial team. To our great dismay, during the meeting it was confirmed that all the publishing activities belonging to Exor through Gedi are for sale”, recalls the Order in its note of solidarity. ”Negotiations have been underway for some time with the Greek group AntennaUno (exclusively interested in Repubblica and its radios) which has declared Greek investors’ lack of interest in La Stampa. The objective – the ODG further explains – would be to close the two sales operations in parallel within two months. No guarantee is provided on the future of the newspaper, on employment levels, on the solidity of the potential buyer, on the fate of the activities shared at group level, from digital infrastructures to video production. “At stake – recall the colleagues from La Stampa – is a newspaper that has written the history of journalism with strong territorial roots and an international projection that can neither be sold off nor offloaded to any buyer.
The editorial team will deploy all its forces to defend itself with every means from what it considers an unprecedented attack on its dignity and 150 years of history.” The colleagues of Repubblica are also in the meeting today and have declared the beginning of the state of permanent agitation with the announcement of the immediate suspension of participation in all editorial initiatives of the newspaper not linked to what is strictly necessary for the publication of the newspaper and the updating of the website. “We are ready for a season of tough struggle in the face of the sale to a foreign group that does not has presented an industrial plan or a relaunch program. – they declare in a document voted by the assembly – We will hinder in every way the choice of the current company leaders not to ask for any guarantee for the maintenance of employment levels and the safeguarding of the political-cultural identity of a newspaper like Repubblica, which since its foundation, 50 years ago, has constituted a piece of national history and politics. We are committed from today to fighting with every tool at our disposal, the defense of these fundamental democratic guarantees.” The detailed document concludes with the statement “From today we will repeat to the current reference shareholder that calling ourselves entrepreneurs also entails a social responsibility towards over five hundred workers and their families”, concludes the note from the Board of Directors.
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