The employees being laid off aren't always the ones they would like to see laid off. The team brings different strengths to the project. Berg is familiar with Swedish labour and has extensive contacts in that country. Masi has just received a new grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to carry out related research in Italy. It's almost impossible to be fired in Italy.
Layoffs are virtually unheard of in the public sector.
There is an enormous underground market in Italy. If the work can't get done through official channels, money gets exchanged under the table. There have been occasions where they've threatened to replace an entire work force during a strike. If workers are at a new plant or at a plant where they know management has spent a lot of money upgrading equipment, they realize they're in a better bargaining position. Management threats to close down the plant are much less menacing when workers know that their bosses have invested heavily in keeping the plant open.