"To promote a harmonious development of the Community,
develop and pursue its actions leading to the
strengthening of its economic and social cohesion."
Statute of the European Investment Bank, Article 158 (15 )
Milan, 27 August 2009
The joint venture NSN (Nokia Siemens Networks) was founded just over two years ago but its short history
is already full of events that deserve to be told.
In these pages shows the chronology of these events.
space for comments and interpretations the material is reduced to the minimum necessary to illustrate summary of the evidence.
- Radio Access : division or business unit of NSN, which deals with the development of software and hardware for mobile networks of all technologies ( GSM, UMTS, etc...)
- Technologies 2nd generation (2G) : This is the GSM (voice), developed since the early '80s, which
the late 90s we have joined the EDGE data service, GPRS ( pictures, short movies, surfing the internet with limited bandwidth). - Technologies 3 rd Generation (3G) : This is the UMTS (broadband data services) and mobile WiMax, which provides an 'alternative to UMTS
for areas not covered by this service. In April 2009, the NSN has renounced the development of WiMAX and has hijacked all'LTE
all the resources that were dedicated to this technology. - Technologies 4th generation (4G) : it is LTE (Long Term Evolution). The LTE is not yet widespread, but bet on it NSN
and invests heavily in what it considers the technology of the future. - Multimode radio access or multiradio : Radio Access departments are concerned with the development of hardware and software platform,
called "multimode base station" or "flexi BTS, able to manage all the technologies of 2, 3 and 4th generation. - WCDMA, CDMA : transmission techniques used by the UMTS radio stations.
Monday, June 19, 2006. Siemens workers return to work after the weekend and opening the mail
find the announcement of the decision by Siemens and Nokia to create a joint venture (1 ).
April 2007. The joint venture becomes operational. Since the merger between Nokia and Siemens founded Nokia Siemens Networks,
world giant in the field of telecommunications networks.
In our country, NSN has 3,000 employees more than 1,000 workers in the province of Milan. The
NSN January 30, 2008, the government and the trade unions signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which it acknowledged
outsourcing of production (factories Cassina de 'Pecchi and Marcianise), and the same
NSN s 'pledged to keep alive and strengthen existing research and development sites ( 2):
Comma 5: Nokia Siemens Networks, with reference to the verbal commitments made by management during the meetings with the Italian government,
providing for the maintenance of the garrison of Research and Development in Italy as well as new settlements in
development of computer applications, is committed to deliver the lines of development which will be specified in the commitments related to the consolidation of the Italian garrison
R & D in order, within existing competences and also participating in the development of products or components
new generation maintaining employment levels downstream of the reorganization plan that will be next
comparison parties, the development of service activities, marketing and prototyping. These lines of development will be
with the unions Ministry of Economic Development.
The December 16, 2008 (10 months after the signing of the agreement with the government) responsible for radio access Marc Rouanne clarify the role of R & D sites NSN.
This communication is written that Milan focuses on GSM "and that the assets in the next-generation technologies
(WCDMA, WiMax, LTE) mentioned in the memorandum of understanding with the Government of marginal importance in Milan
("There May Be Smaller Amounts of employees working on other projects at Each site ...").
For now, however, there was no talk of closing them. (3 )
The February 6, 2009 and announced the beginning of a new contract incentive exodus (voluntary leave plane - VLP)
expiring April 17, 2009, later extended to May 31, 2009 . The previous contract was set up in early 2008. (4 )
The March 4, 2009 Marc Rouanne, head of Radio Access, convene a meeting "face to face" with the line manager in Milan (5 ).
The object of the meeting, which takes place in Cinisello in the meeting room of the Directorate is defined generically
"arguments concerning global and local Radio Access. "In this meeting, of which at variance with the business practice
not released any other verbal or written, Rouanne announces the violent reduction of staff
(half life of a department that has about 300 employees) within the next eighteen months and the closure by 2009
new generation of projects ("multiradio") that in radio access employ about 60 people.
Rouanne in this meeting assumes an attitude and tone very tough, almost threatening. Here are some of the
phrases spoken by Marc Rouanne during this meeting in front of dozens of witnesses, all managers and supervisors:
You need to convince your employees to accept the incentive exodus and leave the company by April 17
[the end, then postponed to May 31, 2009, the notice of the exodus'ncentivo - ed.]
If this number will not be reached, we will be forced to resort to a much more unpleasant ["painful methods" - ed.]
do not know how, but rest assured it will reach my goals of reducing the workforce, in one way or another. You must then speak to your
and convince them to leave. Everyone should know that if you do not accept the offer, not only him but also
all his colleagues are at risk. You must make them understand that there are no exceptions
and that no one should feel protected and privileged over the others.
Question: But that does not have the effect of losing the people most knowledgeable and competent?
Answer: Let your best people go.
Question: But this seems a first step towards the closure of the research and development. Are you going to close the center?
Answer: Not yet ...
After threats from Rouanne, the plan benefit incentive redeem a success, given the crisis
that makes it easy to find alternative work. Eighty employees will leave the company in exchange for money,
many of them without having found an alternative.
With this meeting, after only thirteen months, the Memorandum of Understanding of 30 January 2008 became a dead letter. The
April 21, 2009 Marc Rouanne distributes a communication ( 6) in which formalizes the closure of projects in Milan 3rd and 4th generation.
"The site in Milan Italy Will No Longer Provide Any multiradio technology-related work."
there is no trace of the other sentences handed down on the incentive exodus during the meeting.
addition to the closure of London (Journal) Rouanne raises the possible closure, or alternatively outsourcing
Research Centre of Shipley (United Kingdom), which produces a part Wimax project (one of the product lines multiradio). The
May 19, 2009 Antonio Panzeri, PD candidate in European elections, he opened a question to the European Parliament calling for clarification on the use of
EIB lending and non-compliance of the agreements made by the Italian Government with NSN (9 ). The
June 20, 2009 Marc Rouanne proudly announces the "almost purchase" of the division of Nortel
(North American telecommunications company in bankruptcy proceedings), which develops LTE and CDMA.
NSN is so certain of success in the auction that spreads even a video welcome to the "new colleagues Nortel (7 ).
NB: LTE is a technology whose development has just been closed in Italy and whose researchers were asked to leave,
and for which the NSN has obtained a loan of 250 million Euros from the European Investment Bank. The
June 29, 2009 appears on the website of the EIB (European Investment Bank) announced that the NSN has obtained a loan of
250 million euro to finance a project within the LTE and WCDMA. In the announcement it says that this project will be developed in
Germany, Italy, Finland and Poland, and this is the version of the news being reported even in the NSN
site and all the press (8 ). Strangely, however, the database of funded projects (also the site of the EIB ( 8))
nations listed as recipients of the loan are only Poland and Finland (no mention of Italy and Germany).
The fact is that, contrary to the public at NSN Portal and show what all the media,
the end of these projects had been declared in Italy for three months.
The July 6, 2009 is a new meeting between NSN, unions and government, as required by the Memorandum of Understanding of 30 January 2008 (10 ).
The trade unions expressed their disappointment failure to comply with the commitments made by the company in 2008,
but the meeting does not lead to any concrete results, in part because the company does not send at this meeting the new CEO of NSN Italy, Rigoni Federico
, but the Luigi De Vecchis his predecessor, now officially resigned. The next meeting is scheduled with the government in late September 2009. The
July 7, 2009, with a perfect synchronization with respect to the disappointing meeting with the government occurred only hours before, Torbjorn Kvist,
the direct supervision of Marc Rouanne and responsible for all product lines, GSM / EDGE, sign a statement Journal where, in addition to confirming the closure
projects of the 3rd and 4th generation, today announced the indefinite suspension
development projects remaining in Milan (GSM / EDGE). At the same time declaring the surplus in a number of radio access are not well explained
of employees (less than 160), to be disposed of from July 2009 (11 ). The justifications for these decisions is the intention to dispose of NSN
networks ex-Siemens second generation product developed by homologous benefit NSN in Finland and India.
In the same communication the emphasis on the fact that the Italian R & D will not be involved in the development of this product, but will only deal
customer support and maintenance of old equipment.
In practice, it announced the closure of Radio Access R & D in Italy.
Kvist motivates this choice with the need to avoid excessive fragmentation of research and development
by reducing the number of sites (" minimum fragmentation of tasks Development Center). The
July 13, 2009 Vladimir Spidla, on behalf of the Committee on Social Affairs at the newly refurbished European parliament,
answered negatively the question of Antonio Panzeri ( 9). In his reply he says:
"the Bank-funded project European Investment Bank (EIB) will be made entirely within the EU,
mainly in Finland and Germany, but also (to a lesser extent) in Poland and Italy.
It is not clear what the source from which it gets Spidla information that led him to make such statements. In reality (( 6), (11 ))
such projects in Italy have been closed for months. It is also not true that they are developed only in the EU (( 12) (13 )):
do not need to be a private investigator to verify that the LTE is largely developed in China, just type the words on google
"NSN", "Hangzhou", "LTE". The
July 27, 2009 Marc Rouanne a sorry state that NSN has withdrawn an auction for the acquisition of Nortel
(Eriksson is to win the bids). In the same mail Rouanne NSN says that now concentrate its investments in research and development
LTE in countries with high growth
"And the additional R & D resources we Would Have Gained Certainly Would Have Made Our Life Easier But we haves Already strongly
ramped up in high-growth sites Such as Hangzhou, Bangalore and Wroclaw ') (( 13)).
The August 19, 2009 a reinvigorated Marc Rouanne announces the opening Dallas, USA, a research center for LTE in which new hires will be made
( 14). NSN evidently considers urgent and strategic presence in North America,
because it seeks to remedy the failure of the deal Nortel settling in this area by other means.
Rouanne With the announcement of 19 August, a new competence center, Dallas, in addition to those already existing technologies
in 3rd and 4th generation. In five months, from March to August, the research and development of Radio Access
comes out completely revolutionized: outside Italy and the United Kingdom inside USA and China . While
Poland (country "low cost"?) Benefits from the new money of the European Bank in India , like that in China,
the presence of the NSN and investment are increasing, remaining stable the Finland and Germany .
All in all, the "fragmentation" of development projects multiradio, and Kvist Rouanne worried that so much as to make the decision to close their
Milan, has not improved much. To look good though, something has changed in the geopolitical map NSN.
- have been eliminated in countries where the telecommunications market is considered mature or strategically marginal.
- is assumed and invested heavily in the old and new masters of the world (U.S. and Asian giants) and in low cost countries.
- In the nations of the two founding members, Germany and Finland, the presence in the research (and the jobs of researchers)
remains safe for now, although downstream of downsizing immediately following the merger.
the creation of the Downtown Dallas Development LTE (19/08/2009): to choose the locations in which to invest and take
in research and development, NSN gives priority to the physical proximity to major customers prior to any other considerations.
R & D sites must be present in the states they serve these privileged customers.
"The formation of an LTE Center of Competence in Dallas Demonstrates Our aim to locate key resources in close proximity to the
communications service providers leading the roll-out of next generation technologies.
The actions we are announcing today INCREASE Our focus on the needs of Our North American customers "
Italy apparently is not among them.
One important point: the high NSN management denies any closed R & D center in Italy and to have fired any employee, and formally
true. NSN is concerned about its image and communication aspects. In fact, there are two distinct and separate channels
which the NSN distributes its information: one external, for press and media and an inner face to its employees. The press
NSN never said that research and development in Radio Access was closed: it is formally kept alive
to manage the maintenance of old projects. The representative of the Committee European Parliamentary Assembly examined the question of Panzeri
maybe it truly and sincerely believe that the project financed by the EIB to take place entirely in Europe and in Italy.
NSN yet did not initiate any procedure for collective redundancies: if he did, this would not have gone unnoticed for printing
domestic and foreign, for the European Committee for Social Affairs and the Italian government. But, nobody knows what to Cinisello Balsamo and Cassina de 'Pecchi
several dozen employees, terrified by threats of Rouanne March 4, agreed to resign in exchange for money without having found a job,
in a time when the economic crisis does not make certainly easy to redeployment in the labor market.
If any information is leaked outside the headquarters of Cinisello, this was solely the result of the initiatives and actions of protest
workers and their representatives. After several peaceful demonstrations and imaginative
(like " funeral Research ", complete with a coffin in the procession),
workers were able to gain visibility in the press and on local television stations. Finally, thanks to their efforts,
managed to make the big leap and find a place in the national press in the prestigious Corriere della Sera. In
of August 10, 2009 , The case of the telecommunications hub of Cinisello and Cassina de 'Pecchi Dario Di Vico presents an effective synthesis of reality and bitter NSN.
Workers NSN not delude themselves to change the strategies of a multinational. If the map of the NSN, Italy has been deleted,
there is little to do. In a free world can not prevent a contractor to dispose freely of their money and invest it where
he deems appropriate to do so. If it comes to the total closure of the research activities in Italy, the workers and their representatives will not remain much
that struggle by democratic means to achieve the best possible conditions and then look for another job. Maybe
to open newsstand, as Vico says in his brilliant article.
But before you get to this, workers NSN would like to ask a few questions to some people and get clarifications on some points.
Responses should recognition be public officers and, even better if given in an adversarial, perhaps in front of the cameras.
- A Simon Beresford-Wylie, CEO NSN, a Marc Rouanne, head of Radio Access
and Torbjorn Kvist, head of development of second generation products:
"The commitment that NSN has publicly taken with the Italian Government on January 30, 2008 , to give Milan the development of new generation products
and maintain employment levels, is been resoundingly rejected. multiradio The closure of the team, announced in December 2008 and decreed
March 4, 2009, the declaration of almost 160 "redundancies" in Radio Access in Milan, the suspension of development projects of ex-Siemens GSM;
rejection Milan to involve in the development of ex-Nokia GSM products are the total negation of that agreement and show that NSN
no longer wishes to do research in Italy. Can you to deny it? If yes, what topics? " - A Claudio Scajola, Minister of Economic Development:
" What steps his ministry to force NSN to keep its commitments with the government and unions January 30, 2008 ? - A Ben Hunt, head of financial reporting and NSN knowledge Simon Beresford-Wylie, CEO NSN,
and Marc Rouanne , Head of Radio Access:
"The 4 March 2009 Marc Rouanne has officially closing the Milan team that dealt with technology multiradio
and invited people who were part'zienda to leave. Why in the portal NSN June 29, 2009 you wrote that
multiradio projects financed by the loan obtained from the European Investment Bank, will also be developed in Italy, when in fact
the Milan team that was supposed to develop them had already been closed by four months? " - A Eberhard Uhlmann, Secretary General of the European Investment Bank:
" The portal EIB June 29 published an article which says that the loan of 250 million €
granted to the EIB will also be used in Italy. She knows that the Milan team that was supposed to take care of that project (Multi-mode Radio Access Equipment)
when you have posted the article was closed three months before and to researchers who were members were offered money
in exchange for his resignation? Do you not think that using that is making the NSN of that money, besides being different from that
publicly stated, is in complete contrast to the European spirit and the Statute of the EIB? " - A Vladimir Spidla , the European Committee on Social Affairs, and for information to his manager José Manuel Durão Barroso :
"The answer she gave to the parliamentary Antonio Panzeri on NSN contains allegations are untrue.
not true, in fact, that the project financed by the EIB will be made entirely within the EU and that will be developed
in Italy. It 's easy for anyone with an ordinary search engine, check that the LTE, which is the most important
projects financed by the loan will be significantly developed in Hangzhou in China (and now, as announced by the leaders NSN
August 19, 2009, also in Dallas in the U.S.). It is true that these projects will be developed in Italy, as it could easily
verify by consulting the Italian trade unions. What is the source from which it obtained the information
led it to make such statements in his response? E 'aware that the Italian team that was supposed to take care of that project
(Multi-mode Radio Access Equipment) when she gave her answer had been closed four months before
and researchers who were part were offered money in exchange for his resignation? E 'and available to perform audits
more accurate to take concrete action to answer the question more adequately? " - A Marc Rouanne :
" E''disponibile to repeat phrases and to confirm publicly that you have addressed to the Italian line manager during the meeting of March 4?
E''disposto to clarify which methods are" painful "that you will take to achieve the objectives redundant
benefit incentive if the campaign does not have obtained satisfactory results for you? "
NB
Internal communications were not published for fear of reprisals. We jobless future we can not afford a lawyer ...
- Letters from Klaus Kleinfeld and Eduardo Montes Mon, 19 Jun 2006
- Memorandum of Understanding between the Italian government and NSN (January 30, 2008)
- Letter of Marc Rouanne 12/16/2008 Milan, a site that defines 'primarily the GSM'
- advertisement of the notice of early retirement incentives February 6, 2009
- Convening of meeting of 04.03.2009 in which Marc Rouanne announces the closing of the products 3rd and 4th generation
and halving the staff of Radio Access within eighteen months - official communication of April 21, 2009 which is officially the closure of the projects 'multimode radio access'
in Italy (that decision was communicated verbally to the March 4, 2009 'line manager' Italian) - Marc Rouanne Announces 'almost purchase' of the division of Nortel (
North American telecommunications company under bankruptcy proceedings), which develops LTE and CDMA.
Video NSN which announces the purchase of new colleagues almost Nortel. - On the site of the EIB, the NSN and various organs of the press reports the news of the loan from the European Investment Bank
- Parliamentary question Antonio Panzeri
response to Parliamentary Vladimir Spidla - Minutes of the meeting of July 6, 2009 between the direction NSN, the Italian government and trade unions.
- Communications business of 07.07.2009 signed by Torbjorn Kvist which announced further closures of projects and drastic reductions
- Notice of Recruitment for engineers to NSN Hangzhou
Article about LTE developed by NSN in China
Various links that show that most of the LTE NSN develops in China - Rouanne announces failure of NSN in the auction for the acquisition of the Nortel CDMA and LTE which develops
- On August 19, NSN announced that Dallas will be established a research center for the LTE
yout NSN at the new center in Dallas for LTE - Statute of the European Investment Bank (EIB)
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