Italy: Ceramics firm suspends liquidation after union protests

Iris, a ceramics company based in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, reversed an earlier decision to go into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 800 jobs, following protests by trade unions and local authorities in January 2009.  

In early January 2009, Iris, a leading producer of ceramic tiles, unexpectedly announced that it was going into voluntary liquidation and closing all five of its plants in the Modena area, which have a total workforce of around 800.