Villa Sassa closes: 140 employees out of work

Context

TL;DR

• Villa Sassa and Villa Principe Leopoldo closed for four months
• Approximately 140 employees are out of work
• Winter alternatives in St. Moritz, in the Engadine and in Cademario
• Reopening in May, but gradually

Key facts

• Closing → four months
• Staff involved → approximately 140 employees
• Manager → Dot Life SA
• Consultation → ends October 9th
• Reopening → next May, gradual
• Investments → over 40 million for Villa Sassa and over 12 million for Villa Principe Leopoldo
• Work → two-three years

Villa Sassa and Villa Principe Leopoldo, in Lugano, will be closed for four months due to major renovation works. The consequence affects approximately 140 employees, who will remain without work during the closure period.

The company Dot Life SA, which manages the two hotels in Lugano, offers for the winter season the possibility of working in accommodation facilities in the St. Moritz region, in the Engadine, or at the Kurhaus in Cademario, which belongs to the same group. The consultation will end on 9 October; Daniele Lardi, president of Dot Life SA, specified that only later will the options be examined and how to proceed established.

«We are making various opportunities available and, at the end of the consultation, set for 9 October (ed), we will examine the alternatives to decide how to proceed».

A closure chosen after two years of preparation

The project required two years of preparation, during which multiple alternatives were evaluated, including a suspension of activity for two or three years. Finally, a four-month closure was opted for, considered the most appropriate solution to limit the duration of the interruption and avoid losing the workforce in the future.

However, closure is inevitable because the interventions are very invasive. The program includes heating and cooling systems, common areas, kitchens to be completely redone, restaurants and receptions. With works of this type, Lardi explained, a hotel facility cannot continue to operate.

Gradual reopening and position of the unions

The reopening is scheduled for next May, but will proceed gradually. The works will in fact continue for two or three years and the staff will not be resumed immediately with all the staff. Trade unions have not yet been involved in the consultation; a meeting is scheduled for the next few weeks.

Luca Robertini of the OCST defined the situation as not rosy and dramatic in terms of its human impact. However, he noted that these are not 140 jobs destined to disappear from the canton: behind the restructuring there is a multi-million dollar investment which suggests a future guarantee, at least in part, for those positions.

Operational details

What changes for those who work in the two structures

For the cross-border worker who follows the Lugano job market, the practical point is to distinguish a temporary proposal from an already definitive decision. The source speaks of around 140 employees without work during the closure, but does not distinguish how many are cross-border workers. It is therefore not possible to measure, based on this announcement, the specific impact on workers living across the border.

The sequence described by the company, however, is clear: first there is the consultation, then the evaluation of the possibilities and finally the decision on what to do. The opportunities indicated for the winter season are at facilities in the St. Moritz region, in the Engadine, or at the Kurhaus in Cademario. The text does not attribute a precise duration, salary or contractual conditions to the proposals. Presenting them as transfers already assigned would mean going beyond the source.

Three moments not to be confused

For staff, the reopening therefore does not coincide with the immediate return of all staff. The company has already indicated that it will proceed in stages. This element matters more than a simple date on the calendar, because it describes a prolonged transition phase: the structure reopens, but the completion of the interventions extends over time.

The OCST evaluation introduces a second element. The layoffs have a human impact and the situation is not rosy, but the investment of over forty million for Villa Sassa and over twelve million for Villa Principe Leopoldo suggests a future prospect for those positions, at least in part. It is a union reading reported by the source, not a definitive guarantee of each employee's individual outcome.

Those who are looking for alternatives can combine the analysis of the proposal with the consultation of the annunci di lavoro, without attributing offers other than those indicated to the news.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Useful planning tools

To estimate your pension strategy, use the pension planner and the pillar 3 simulator.

Key points

How to follow the situation step by step

The source allows us to build an essential operational sequence for the staff of the two hotels. There is no need for hypotheses on rules or allowances: the concrete steps concern consultation, seasonal alternatives and reopening times.

Five helpful steps

1. Mark October 9. This is the deadline for consultation. Before that date, the possibilities proposed by the company do not yet represent a conclusive decision.

2. Separate proposal and decision. Dot Life SA is offering opportunities at facilities in the St. Moritz region, in the Engadine, or at the Kurhaus in Cademario. The final evaluation will come after the consultation closes.

3. Compare the indicated locations. The alternatives cited are different, while the source does not provide details on salary, hours or duration of employment. The comparison must therefore remain limited to the elements actually communicated.

4. Prepare for a phased reopening. Next May is the scheduled date for the reopening, but the staff will not be fully employed immediately. The work will continue for two or three years.

5. Follow the discussion with the unions. The OCST has not yet been involved in the consultation, but a meeting is expected in the coming weeks. This step is also part of the announced sequence.

For the cross-border worker, the news remains limited to the employment relationship. The source does not contain information on G permit, AVS, LPP, KVG, refunds, withholding tax, INPS or double taxation. These themes cannot therefore be reconstructed starting from the hotel announcement. For any further information on disoccupazione frontalieri, a tool separate from the restructuring report must be used.

For an individual payroll comparison, use the calcolatore stipendio.

Source: rsi.ch