The contribution made by eni to the issue of work from the perspective of the global sustainable development goals can be described as: guaranteeing work that is qualified, fairly paid, characterized by high safety standards and which, by giving priority to the employment of local people, can also contribute to social and economic development in the areas in which it operates.

In parts of the company where it has been necessary to conduct business optimization processes, the participatory industrial relations system acts as a fundamental tool for effective management of the company’s restructuring processes. Accordingly, through a rigorous process of consultation and discussion with the trade unions, various agreements were reached during 2013 to support and promote efficiency processes for organizational and production facilities at those eni sites experiencing difficulties. The agreement signed in February 2013 with the Assemini petrochemical plant allowed for the redevelopment of the assets in parallel with the launch of a professional retraining plan for the resources concerned. The agreement signed in March 2013 on the redevelopment project for the Priolo petrochemical plant used, as levers to relaunch the company’s competitiveness, organizational flexibility, flexible working hours and the operational flexibility necessary to ensure the deployment of resources in roles of specific contingent necessity, also through the provision of specific training opportunities.

An intense process of consultation and discussion with the trade unions has supported efficiency processes for organizational and production facilities at eni industrial sites experiencing difficulties.

The industrial restructuring agreement for the Gela Refinery signed in July 2013 came about during a period of fundamental structural crisis for the refinery industry, which in Italy has produced, among other things, a significant drop in the demand for oil and gas products and a contraction of margins to a historical minimum.

In Gela the crisis has made it necessary to review the industrial model applied at the site in order to adopt a relaunch plan for the refinery, with the aim of restoring its competitiveness and establishing the conditions for an economically robust and more environmentally compatible refinery. This plan will concentrate on ensuring the best use of the professional skills available at the Gela site through the development of new industrial initiatives, a training centre and qualified safety team, decommissioning activities and new investments in the restoration of plants and land. It will also involve use of redeployment within eni, redundancy schemes and other “social buffers” to reduce the impact on the resources concerned.

To facilitate entry and reinsertion into the world of work, eni, through Eni Corporate University, has developed the “Trust is Energy” project, started in 2013 to provide scholarships and support for the training of young talents, as part of professional qualification projects and/or personal and social support to overcome a difficult situation.