FedEx, 2,000 direct hires by 2025 after union agreements

With the internalization process started with the 2021 union agreements signed with the trade unions of Cgil, Cisl and Uil, the counter of direct hirings of FedEx has already exceeded 1,700, including handlers, couriers and all ground staff. After 140 more people have joined since the beginning of the year, by the end of 2025 the forecast is to reach around 2 thousand direct hires. As Frédéric François, vice president ground operations for Italy, Spain and Portugal, a key figure in the transformation process of the multinational logistics company in our country, explains to us, «Italy represents one of the most strategic markets in Europe, with significant growth margins in import and export flows. For this reason, we are fully committed to consolidating our presence in the country, guided by a long-term vision and a structured plan for sustainable development». This plan is moving forward, but in the meantime we are waiting for the resolution of the legal case that last January involved the American multinational. During an ongoing investigation by the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office into illicit labor pools, a precautionary seizure order for 46 million euros was issued.

In recent years, FedEx has invested to strengthen its operations in Italy with an innovative organizational model for the logistics sector that has provided for "greater use of direct hiring of personnel, replacing part of the collaborations with external suppliers, to achieve concrete results in terms of quality of service, employee involvement and business development capacity". The model has established itself throughout the country where FedEx has several logistics hubs in which approximately 4,600 people work, distributed in over 80 locations, including operational branches, offices and distribution hubs. This infrastructure is flanked by four strategic air gateways - Malpensa, Bologna, Venice and Rome Fiumicino - which represent nerve centers for the connection between the Italian network and international markets. The largest operational hub, which extends for 32 thousand square meters, is located in Novara and has a handling capacity per hour of 21,600 packages, 8 thousand small packages and documents, 4 thousand heavy goods.

Continuing along the lines of internalization, "last March we signed a significant agreement with the union representatives, which represents a further step forward for the entire sector. As part of this strategy to strengthen our operational network, we have also started a process of internalizing the collection and delivery activities currently outsourced in the Palermo, Pisa and Vicenza offices. This is an initiative that is part of a broader project, announced in January 2025, to reorganize and make the FedEx operating model in Italy more efficient", continues François. The Italian plan to reduce the contract reflects what is happening globally where FedEx is engaged in a multi-year transformation, with the aim of building a more flexible, efficient and intelligent supply chain. "Italy plays a leading role in this journey. As part of this evolution, we are working on defining an integrated and harmonized product portfolio, which will be positioned as the largest on the market. At the same time, we are investing in the renewal of infrastructures, intervening on sorting systems and strengthening monitoring technologies", continues the manager. The path undertaken in 2021 with the first union agreements for the internalization of workers is now part of a structural transformation but one that requires time and a gradual approach. "Even with the new internalizations planned - concludes François -, we will maintain this approach, aware that only through a progressive evolution can we fully implement our long-term vision".